Heart of Silver
by Friday1221
Summary: Ris Silver was just visiting her best friend on her birthday, unaware that she would end up fighting a battle against her own memories of a life she didn't even remember, which just happened to involve a certain pawn broker, aka her least favorite person in the town she would soon call home.(In pcocess of editing after a long hiatus)
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:  
**

 **Facts about this fic:**

 **1.) It will go through all seasons with a few changes.  
**

 **2.) It will be progressing slowly because I really need time to develop the relationships between the characters and get more and more hyped to write more.:-)**

 **3.) The pairings from canon will remain the same.**

 **4.) Ris is partrayed by Troian Belissario.**

 **5.) English is not my first language, so be sure to point out nay mistakes in vocabulary and grammar.**

 **6.) There is some swearing in there. Nothing TOO bad though.**

 **7.) Hope you enjoy!:-)**

* * *

 **Chapter 1**

Henry Mills was too absorbed in his book to even notice that the bus arrived in Boston. He looked out of the window with a smile on his face, realizing that his life would change at last. All he needed to do was find the savior, who also happened to be his biological mother, and the curse would be finally broken. All the fairytale characters would remember who they really were, and the Evil Queen, who also happened to be his adopted mother would be defeated.

He was really exited to meet Emma. He wanted to meet her since the day he found out the definition of the word " _adopted_ ". He just hoped that she would believe him and accept to come to Storybrooke with him.

"That a good book?" Henry snapped out of his thoughts and looked over to the lady who asked him.

"This, is more than just a book." he replied proudly, with a cheerful smile. The lady laughed in amusement, obviously thinking that his exitement was cute and childish. Dissapointed, Henry turned away and waited for the bus to stop.

Henry started searching for a cab as soon as he got out of the vehicle. Thankfully he had taken Mary Margaret's credit card and he wouldn't have to walk all the way to Emma's appartment.

He knocked on the window of the first cab he found. The driver looked at him curiously as he lowered the window.

"You take credit cards?" asked Henry.

The driver hesitated, noting that Henry barely looked eleven years old, but he nodded as he let Henry inside the car. Henry grinned in victory. It was time to meet his mother.

* * *

"Screw you, you son of a bitch!" yelled Clarissa Silver at the bus driver as he drove away, even though he wouldn't hear her since the bus was already out of her sight. She had been running for half an hour to get to the bus stop in time, and when she finally thought she had made it, the damn idiot just took off. The worst part was that he saw her running, waving her hand and telling him to wait, but he kept driving anyway.

She stood at the bus stop for at least five minuites, just swearing and muttering curses for her bad luck. She must've looked like a crazy person. People were giving her worried glances, as if she just escaped the asylum.

"What? Never seen a woman in despair before? Take a picture!" she yelled. She knew that her behavior would only confirm that she was crazy but she didn't really care. It was her best friend's 28th birthday and she wouldn't miss it for the world. Emma was forced to spend her last birthday alone because Clarissa, or Ris as she prefered, was off to college. But since she quit college about a month ago, there was no excuse for her to miss her only friend's special day. Yes, Emma was actually Ris's only friend. She wasn't shy. But she always said the wrong things to the wrong people. And obviously no one appreciated that. Not that she cared anyway. Emma was the only friend she needed. They were both loners so it didn't take long for them to find common ground.

Ris took her phone out of her purse to inform Emma of her whereabouts. Right when she was about to hit the call button, the phone died.

"Stupid piece of crap..." muttered Ris. Great. Now she couldn't even call a cab. She looked around to see if she could spot one. There didn't appear to be one in sight. But as she took another closer look, she spotted something so much better, which made her stare for a while longer than she should. A gorgeous black Kawasaki with an equally gorgeous rider getting off of it. She always had a thing for motorcycles but could never really afford one. She had entertained the idea of stealing one but never gathered enough courage to actually do it. But at that moment she had found the perfect excuse to do so. If she kept telling herself that getting to Emma was an absolute emergency, maybe she'd even end up feeling justified for what she was about to do.

She quickly fixed her hair and untied them from her ponytail after undoing the first few buttons of her shirt before she approached the rider with a confident smile. She had seen a scenario like this play out in enough comedies to know the steps by heart. According to the smirk that appeared on his face when he saw her stepping towards him, it wouldn't be that hard to take his attention away from the keys that he had just put in his jacket's pocket.

And she was right.

She silently thanked all of the cheap TV shows she had decided to watch while she was in London as she slipped her hand inside the guy's jacket pocket. They proved to be of big help. The guy only realised what was going on when she quickly pulled away from him and got on the bike. She turned the key as fast as she could and took off on full speed. She tried not to laugh too much as she heard the sucker yelling at her from where she left him and calling her names.

"You should've kept your hands to yourself, sucker." she muttered as she sped up even more. According to the clock tower on her right, it was already nine o'clock. Emma's birthday would no longer be in three hours. She had to speed up.

* * *

"Come on, pick up..." muttered Emma Swan at her phone as she called Ris for the second time. She never thought she would be that desperate for someone to talk to, she was always able to keep calm. Even when that jackass from the date implied that she knew nothing about family. He got off too lightly if you'd ask her...

But this... A ten year old kid just barges in her apartment on her birthday, claiming to be the son she gave up for adoption about ten years ago. She didn't know what to do. So she asked for a minuite to go to her bathroom and she called the first and only person that came in her mind. Her only current friend, Clarissa Silver.

 _"You've reached Ris. I am obviously in no mood for talking. You know what to do."_ said the voicemail.

"Dammit Ris..." said Emma through gritted teeth.

She placed her phone on the sink and took a deep breath. She didn't need Ris to deal with this, she could do it by herself. She had managed _this_ long while Ris was studying in London.

"Do you have any juice?" said the kid, whose name was apparently Henry. Emma sighed in frustration. Yes, she had managed this long, but not in a situation like this. How the hell was she supposed to speak with the kid she gave up ten years ago?

"Never mind! Found some." said Henry.

Emma took another deep breath before she exited her bathroom. The kid was casually sitting on her counter drinking her juice. She tried to come up with something to say but no words escaped her mouth.

"You know, we should propably get going." said Henry.

Emma was about to ask where the hell they would go in the middle of the night. But her entry phone interrupted her. She silently thanked whoever decided to visit her. Whoever it was, they had just saved her from having to face Henry alone.

"Yeah... Excuse me, I have to get this." she said to Henry. The boy waved his hand carelessly as he took another sip of the juice bottle.

Emma rushed to see who she was expecting.

"Hello?" she said when she picked the entry phone.

"Open up Swan, it's me." said a voice which Emma would recognise anywhere.

"Ris?"

"No, it's the Easter Bunny."

Yeah, it surely was Ris. But why? Shouldn't she be at campus?

Emma let her in the building and waited for her to ring the appartment's doorbell.

"You were expecting someone?" said Henry from his spot in the kitchen.

"Looks like today is the day of unexpected visitors." said Emma, still not facing him.

"Who was it?"

"Keep drinking kid. Keep drinking."

Henry nodded in agreement and he kept going on about his mission to empty the contents of the bottle. It was half finished when Ris rang the bell. Emma opened the door and was shocked to hear a loud bang. She jumped back, as a million tiny confettis fell in front of her.

"That's it? The store runner owes me at least five bucks!" said Ris when the confetti was all on the floor. Emma didn't know what surprised her the most. The fact that Ris had a bike helmet on one hand, or the fact that Ris was actually there.

Ris dropped the empty confetti canon and finally looked at Emma with a happy grin.

"Happy birthday Swan!" she said.

Emma raised an eyebrow, expecting an explanation from her friend. Ris remained where she was, not planning to give her one. She was still waiting for a reaction.

"Is this the awkward moment when you have a hot naked guy in your room and I interrupted right when he was about to sho..."

"No!" yelled Emma, disgusted. There was after all a kid in her house. She might as well not let him hear Ris's filthy thoughts.

Ris sighed in relief as she pushed past Emma and barged straight inside the appartment, much like Henry had a few minuites ago.

"Ris, I'm not alone." said Emma but Ris didn't listen. She didn't even notice Henry. She just dumped her helmet on the couch and then sat herself, crossing her legs and making herself at home.

"Tell me you have some beer." she said. She really looked like she needed one.

"No." replied Emma.

"Wine?

"Not that either."

"Do you at least have some juice?"

"Over here!" said Henry from the counter, raising the juice bottle for her to see. Ris threw Emma a questioning look before she turned her head to face the owner of the voice. She surely did not expect to see a ten year old boy sitting on the counter as if he just came home. Ris stood up slowly, as if questioning whether she was seeing things, and she turned to Emma.

"Can I ask you something?" she said.

"I wonder what that could be." said Emma sarcastically.

"When did you adopt a kid and why didn't you tell me?"

"Actually, she is my birth mother." said Henry innocently.

"Processing information..." muttered Ris. She got to the counter and practically grabbed the juice bottle from Henry's hands.

"Scratch my last question. You had a kid the entire time?"

"I gave him up for adoption ten years ago."

"Then what is he doing here?"

"I'm right here. And my name is Henry" said Henry, tired of being refered to as "the kid".

"Alright, _Henry_. Please enlighten me." said Ris.

"I need her to come home with me." he said. He then turned to Emma. "Will you?"

"Uh, no. But I _am_ calling the cops." said Emma and picked her phone.

"And I'll tell them that you two kidnapped me." said Henry.

"Hey, don't drag me into this! I didn't fly from London, drive a thousand miles on a stolen motorcycle just to get arrested anyway." said Ris.

"You stole a... You know what? Nevermind. He's not gonna do it anyway." said Emma as she dialed the number to call the cops.

"You think I won't do it?" asked Henry.

"I know you won't, kid."

"Try me."

"You are pretty good. But here is the thing. There is not a lot I'm great at in life, but I have one skill."

"And here we go with the superpower." muttered Ris, having heard about Emma's superpower about a million times.

"Superpower?" asked Henry.

"Yup. I can tell when anyone is lying. And you kid, are." said Emma and pressed the call button.

"Wait." said Henry. "Please don't call the cops. Please, come home with me."

Emma didn't know what to do. She didn't want to call the cops. How could she when the kid was practically begging her to go with him? Even the most cruel person would be affected by his adorable face. But there was also Ris. She came from London to Boston just to celebrate her birthday with her. She couldn't just leave her behind.

"I could drive you home on the bike I stole." said Ris. That statement got Emma to speak again.

"What? Are you insane? A ten year old on a motorcycle? And a stolen one too?" she yelled. Ris started to laugh. Emma was most certainly not amused.

"What's so funny?"

"I was just testing your motherly instincts. You just made my day." said Ris while still laughing. Henry was smiling as well. Emma rolled her eyes at her friend's immaturity.

"Whatever. Where is your home, kid?"

"Storybrooke Maine." said Henry.

"Congrats to whoever came up with the name." said Ris.

"Yeah, seriously? Storybrooke?" said Emma.

Henry nodded. Emma hesitated, but she knew she had to take him home to his family. She looked at Ris apologetically.

"I'm sorry. I know it must have been a tiring journey from London. But I have to take him to his parents." she said.

"Swan, what are you talking about? Who said I'm staying behind?" said Ris, as if it was obvious that she was coming along.

"You have to get back to campus as soon as possible. You can't waste any more time."

"I dropped out of college a month ago. So I belive I have plenty of time for a road trip."

"You dropped out of college?"

Ris nodded. Emma wasn't even surprised about this. Of course Ris would drop out of college during her second year. She just couldn't act like the twenty one years old woman she was and just attend her classes.

"Alright then. Let's get you back to Storybrooke." she said and went in her room to get ready for their journey, while Henry was smilling in victory for reasons she and Ris would find out soon.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I forgot that in the first chapter... I DON'T OWN OUAT. Why would I write a fanfic if I did? Hope the chapter is to your liking!:-D**

 **Chapter 2**

"How far is this Storybrooke place again?" asked Ris when she, Emma and Henry got in the yellow bug that Emma was so proud of.

"Not _that_ far." said Henry, simply.

"Could you be a little bit more specific?" asked Ris, impatiently.

Henry ignored her and opened his backpack. He took out a big brown book that had _"Once Upon A Time"_ typed on the frontpage.

"Hey, kid. Buckle up if you want a safe journey." said Emma.

"Motherly instincts activated." muttered Ris, laughing to herself, still finding the idea of Emma as a protective mom to be the most hillarious thing in the world.

"Shut up. That also applies for you. Buckle up."

"Alright. MOM." said Ris, immaturely.

Henry laughed at their bickering before burrying his face in his book. He kept it there for about half an hour. Ris was sure that he would have remained that way if Emma hadn't spoken.

"You know, you shouldn't read in a moving car. It could cost you a pain in the a... A pain on the neck headache." said Emma, recalling Henry's age before correcting herself.

"Nah, I'm fine." said Henry without taking his eyes off the book.

"You know, she is right. If we get you to your family with a headache they'll think we mistreated you." said Ris taking a cigerette out of her purse.

"Says the one who's about to smoke in front of a kid." said Emma in a scolding tone.

"Says the one who almost said "pain in the ass" in front of a kid. Someone should cut off your tongue." replied Ris, pointing at Emma's direction accusingly.

"There is no smoking in my car."

"There is now."

Emma quickly grabbed her cigarette and threw it out of the window.

"Oh, so now you're infecting the enviroment as well. That was my last one, Swan!"

"Thank God. Now zip it. I want to concentrate."

"You know, I'm hungry." said Henry out of the blue. "Can we stop somewhere?" he asked, poking his head between the two front seats.

"Yeah he's right, I could kill for some coffee right now." said Ris, realising that she hadn't had one since the morning when her plane arrived from London.

"This is not a road trip, we are not stopping for snacks." said Emma coldly.

"Why not? Ris wants to as well."

"Quit complaining, kid. If I knew I would have to drive along with two babies today I would've just grabbed your ear and put your butt on a bus. I can still do that."

Ris threw Emma a "not amused" face when Henry only looked annoyed at being refered to as "the kid" again.

"You know I have a name? It's Henry." he said and turned back to his book. Ris could see in Emma's face that she regretted talking to Henry with that tone. So Emma tried to chat with him to make up for it. She glanced at his book before she spoke.

"What's that?"

"I'm not sure you are ready." said Henry mysteriously. Ris laughed.

"Is there a super secret password, like... I don't know, Cobra?" she said.

Henry actually considered this.

"No, but that would actually be really cool."

"Then what are we not ready for? Some fairytales?" asked Emma.

"They are not fairytales. They are true. Every story in this book actually happened."

Ris tried to hide her laugh from Henry. Her day was certainly very weird. Henry saw her laughing and it was needless to say that he was dissapointed.

"What? It's true!" he said.

"It sure is." said Ris.

"It is." he said and turned to Emma, hoping for a better reaction from her. "Use your superpower. See if I'm lying."

Emma hesitated.

"Someone's having trouble with their superpower?" mocked Ris.

"No. But just because you believe something, doesn't make it true."

"That's exactly what makes it true. You should know more than anyone."

"Why's that?"

"Because _you_ are in this book."

Emma turned her eyes back on the road, losing interest in whatever book stuff Henry said.

"Oh, kid. You've got problems." she said.

"Yup. And you're going to fix them." said Henry.

"So wait, she is in the book and I'm not? How is that fair?" said Ris.

"That's why we need _you_ here. My town is invisible to strangers. If she doesn't belive me she'll belive you when you tell her you can't see it."

"If your town is invisible to strangers, how will _I_ be able to see it?" asked Emma, playing along.

"I told you, you are in the book. You're not a stranger. That's why Storybrooke is not invisible for you."

"Of course. Why would I even ask that? I'm in a book" said Emma sarcastically, ending the weird converstation for the rest of the drive to Storybrooke.

* * *

 _ **Boston**_

 _ **Three Years Ago...**_

Clarissa hurried out of her small new appartment, tired of unpacking stuff she didn't even remember she had. Moving out of the orphanage was the best thing that had ever happened to her, but she would kill to have the staff of that place do the chores for her again.

But they wouldn't help her even if she'd pay them. They practically slammed the door on her face a few days ago on her eighteenth birthday. They were glad to have her out of the orphanage and their lifes. No one in there liked her, and she had to admit that she didn't exactly make it easy for them. She would yell at whoever dared to wake her in the morning, complain about everything all the time and worst of all, she would always break into the manager's office to steal her cigarettes. Everyone complained about her smoking, but really, who wouldn't in there?

There was only one good thing about that place, and that only happened once a year. The day of her birthday. She didn't remember hearing a "happy birthday" wish, not even once. But she would always receive an anonymous gift. It was usually something small and cheap, like a necklace, or a bracelet, but those were a lot better than nothing. However she hadn't received her eighteenth birthday gift, and that would probably be because she got out of the orphanage and whoever sent those gifts didn't bother to find her new adress. Not that she minded, she had just gotten her own appartment, nothing could be better than that. But it kinda felt good to know that someone cared enough for her to bother getting her something.

Clarissa lit a cigarette so that she would relax. She knew that by smoking, the dark circles around her eyes would grow even darker, but she didn't really care. She just wanted to relieve the stress. She leaned on the wall with her back and slid to the floor. She closed her eyes and tried to relax.

Unfortunately, her peace and quiet didn't last long. She heard someone approaching her. She sighed and opened her eyes, ready to receive a lecture about smoking in the building. She looked up to see a blonde woman, probably in her mid twenties, staring at her with crossed arms. She looked really mad.

"What?" said Clarissa, annoyed.

"You know I can smell that stuff from the lobby, right?" said the woman pointing at her cigarette.

"Sorry. You must've mistaken me for someone who cares." said Clarissa and she blew the smoke from her last puff towards the woman's face to annoy her.

If the woman was annoyed, she didn't show it.

"If I were you, I would get off that smartass ass and go straight back to where being a jerk isn't a problem." said the woman. She was mad, obviously, but somehow she was able to keep calm.

"I live here, I didn't just decide to get to the seventh floor to smoke." Clarissa tried to reason, not expecting much though.

"I figured by the boxes. I just moved here too, five days ago. But I don't go around breaking the building's rules using the 'I'm tired' excuse."

"I do. And I'm sure some other person in the world does too. It's our differences that make the world such a special place." offered Clarissa, faking a melodramatic voice.

"You know, you could just pretend that you haven't seen the 'No Smoking' sign over there and save us both the trouble." said the woman, pointing said sign, which was located next to the door.

"Fine! Happy now?" said Clarissa, as she dropped her cigarette in her water bottle. Normally, she wouldn't just surrender, but she was tired from the moving and she really didn't feel like arguing with a random chick.

"Very. I catch you smoking again and I'll start gathering signatures to get you out of here."

Clarissa got up from the floor at the blonde's statement. She had just moved from hell, she deserved some freedom for once.

"Okay, who do you think you are giving me a lecture about the building's rules? Chan Ka Cui, the Supercop?" she said, rather loudly.

The blonde was already walking away, but she did turn around to face Clarissa and reply to her comment.

"No. Emma Swan, the bail Bonds woman." she said carelessly and walked away.

* * *

 _ **Storybrooke**_

 _ **Present Time...**_

Emma was relieved when her yellow bug passed the "Welcome to Storybrooke" sign. Henry hadn't stopped talking about his book and how the town was "magical". She really needed a break from that.

"Okay, I have to admit that for a moment I thougt you were kidding about the town's name being Storybrooke." said Ris.

"Why would I lie?" said Henry.

"Is that a serious question? Clue number one, the story book that you've burried your nose into since you got in the car..." started Ris.

"And clue number two, the fairytale crap obsession." added Emma, completing Ris's thoughts.

"What the blonde said." said Ris.

"It's the truth! Once we get inside the town and Ris won't see it, you'll know I'm not lying." said Henry.

Emma didn't even know how to reply to this. She knew that kids had a huge imagination. But she had never heard anything more ridiculous before. Not even from Ris. Henry actually sounded serious. Like he really belived this craziness.

Emma knew that she shouldn't care. She gave Henry up, and she wasn't his mother anymore. Whoever adopted him was his real parent, she didn't even know anything about him other than his fairytale obsession and his love for juice. That was why she needed to get him straight to his family before he got in her head more than he already had.

"Okay kid. How about an adress?" she said carelessly, trying to hide her previous thoughts.

"Forty-four Not Telling You street." said Henry.

 _That's it._ Thought Emma and stopped the car in the middle of the street. She got out, banged her door shut and waited for Henry and Ris to get out. Henry hurried out of the car and he looked at Ris, expecting to see the reaction he wanted to see in her face. Ris exited the car. She had a confounded look in her face. She took in her surroundings, looking at every single corner, as if trying to make out something that was far away. For one moment Emma was worried that something had happened to her.

"See? She can't see it! I told you it was true!" said Henry.

Silence followed. No, it couldn't be possible that she couldn't see... Emma didn't have time to finish her thought, when Ris started to laugh... Again.

"Seriously Emma, what's up with you today? Is it because of the mother thing?" said Ris between her laughter.

"So wait, you can see it?" asked Henry.

"Yes Henry, I can. There is a clock tower right there and a pawn shop over there. And let's not forget the clock shop right over there..." said Ris, pointing at each she said.

"Alright, alright. That's enough." said Emma, tired of too much childishness for one day. "Listen kid, it's been a long night and it's almost… 8:15?" she said looking at the clock tower, surprised at the time.

"No, that can't be right. It was nine when I stole that motorcycle. It's not like Maine is in a different time zone." said Ris.

"You really can see it!" said Henry.

"I thought we established that." replied Ris, tired of the subject.

"But... That can't be, unless you are in the book." said Henry, ready to grab the book out of his backpack again. Emma sighed in frustration. Seriously, could that kid be any more ridiculous?

"Not now kid. Can you just tell me your adress and get this over with? This clock is obviously wrong, and I need to get back home." she said.

"The clock's not wrong. It's frozen. And so is time here." said Henry, deciding to save the Ris mystery for later.

"Excuse me?" asked Emma. And she thought she had already heard everything...

"The Evil Queen did it with her curse. She sent everyone from the Enchanted Forest here."

"The Enchanted forest? Really?" asked Ris, raising an eyebrow.

"Really. It's where they used to live before Storybrooke."

"Okay, the Evil Queen sent a bunch of fairy tale characters here." said Emma, summing up the nonsense she just heard.

"Yeah, and now they're trapped."

"Frozen in time, stuck in Storybrooke, Maine. That's what you're going with?"

"Yeah, why would the Queen even think of that as a curse? Judging by its name, the Enchanted Forest had no free Wifi. Therefore it sucked." commented Ris.

"Maybe for you. But it was their home. And she took it away from them!"

"Then why they don't just leave?" asked Emma.

"They can't. If they do, bad things happen."

"Pretty convenient for you, right?" said Ris.

Henry was about to reply when they heard someone calling his name. It was a man with a dalmatian dog. Emma saw Ris grinning. She knew what she was thinking. _That must be Pongo._ She could see where the kid was coming from with the book crap. It still didn't make sense, but at least she could see his point.

"Henry! What are you doing here? Is everything alright?" asked the man.

"I'm fine, Archie." replied Henry, petting the dalmatian's ears.

The man, Archie, looked at Emma and Ris curiously, as if he hadn't seen a visitor in Storybrooke before.

"Who are these?" he asked politely.

"We're just giving him a ride home." said Emma, avoiding to tell him about being Henry's mom.

"That's my mom Archie. And that's her friend Ris." replied Henry. Archie looked surprised, and Emma couldn't blame him. That certainly wasn't how adoption worked.

"Oh... I see." he said akwardly.

"You know where he lives?" asked Emma, trying to escape the akwardness of that moment.

"Yeah, sure. Just, ah, right up on Mifflin street. The Mayor's house is the biggest one on the block." replied Archie.

Emma and Ris's eyes widened. The kid's mother was the freaking mayor. Why the hell would he want to get away from her?

"You're the mayor's kid?" asked Emma.

"Uh... Maybe." replied Henry.

"We are so screwed." muttered Ris.

"Hey, where were you today, Henry? Because you missed your session." asked Archie.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you. I went on a field trip." lied Henry.

"Henry..." started Archie, getting to Henry's eye level. "What did I tell you about lying? Giving into one's dark side never accomplishes anything."

"Wow, that was deep." commented Ris, stretching the word 'deep'. Archie looked offended, but that usually was how a first meeting with Ris went like.

"Oookay. Please excuse her. I really should be getting Henry home." said Emma.

"Yeah, sure. Well, listen. Um. Have a good night and, uh, you be good, Henry." said Archie akwardly and took off.

"Giving into one's dark side? Who in the world talks like that?" asked Ris when Archie was far enough.

"That's your shrink." stated Emma.

"I'm not crazy." said Henry, seriously.

"That's exactly what a crazy person would say." said Ris.

"A sane person would also say that." Henry defended himself.

"Good point, but still, he doesn't seem cursed to me."

"Yeah, he is just trying to help you" said Emma.

"He is the one that needs help."

"Why?"

"Because he doesn't know."

"That he is a fairytale character..."

"None of them do. They don't remember who they are." said Henry and got back in the car.

"Convenient. That's great." said Emma, getting as well on her driver's seat.

"Let me guess. That Archie guy is supposed to be Roger, Pongo's owner, right?" asked Ris, recalling the film.

"Actually, he is Jimini Cricket."

"What? Isn't he supposed to be like, a cricket?"

"Magic doesn't exist in Strybrooke. He was turned by magic so he changed back when the curse brought him here."

"I'm sorry Henry, but by that logic, I could be a cow."

"No, you are not getting it..."

"Actually, it makes sense that he is Jimini cricket." said Emma, wanting to tease Henry.

"You think it does?" asked Henry, hopefully.

"Absoloutely. Explains the lying thing. I belive I saw your nose grow a little." said Emma and started driving again.

"I'm not Pinoccio."

"Of course you are not. Cause that would be ridiculous."

Henry kept complaining about Ris and Emma not beliving him for the rest of the drive back to his house.

Or mansion. Why would Henry even consider leaving this place?

"Alright, kid. Let's get you back to your big ass house." said Ris and the three of them got out of the car.

* * *

 **A/N: Thank you for reading!:-)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

"Please, don't take me back there." pleaded Henry as Emma and Ris led him to the entrance.

"We have to. I'm sure your parents are worried sick about you." replied Emma.

"I don't have parents. Just a mom. And she's evil." said Henry.

"Alright, every kid has some sort of banter with their parents, but evil is kind of over the top." said Ris and she stopped walking.

Emma had stopped in front of Henry as well, taken aback by Henry's way of talking about his mom.

"Yeah. Kind of extreme, don't you think?" she told Henry.

"She is. She doesn't love me. She only pretends to." said Henry with a sad voice.

The two women felt bad for the kid. Feeling unloved in your own house was worse than having no parents at all. Emma looked in Henry's eyes and gave him a sympathetic look.

"Kid, I'm sure that's not true..." she said, trying to come up with a few words of comfort.

She didn't have time to think of any, as she heard the front door of the mansion opening. She and Ris looked behind to see a black haired woman along with a tall - and really handsome- man.

"Henry?" said the woman and she ran to hug her son. Henry didn't return the hug. Ris took a step closer to Emma, watching the exchange between Henry and the mayor along with her.

"Are you okay? Where have you been? What happened?" she asked and looked at Emma and Ris.

"I found my real mom." said Henry, harshly and ran inside his house.

Ris didn't need to look at Emma's face to realize how akward the situation was for her. The mayor looked at Ris, since Emma was basically trying to disappear into the thin air.

"His real mom?" she asked her.

"Uh, yeah. Her. I don't think I look like a baby mama." said Ris pointing at Emma.

"Hi." said Emma, akwardly.

The mayor had a weird look on her face. She looked sad about Henry's words, but at the same time she looked like she was about to stab Emma using just her heels.

"I'll go check on the lad... See if he's okay." said the guy that was with the mayor, probably wanting not to witness the akward exchange.

"Uh, how would you two like a glass of the best apple cider you've ever tasted?" asked the woman.

"Thanks but, we'd rather n..." started Ris. She wasn't in the mood to pretend that she wanted to have a small talk with the mayor. She didn't appear to like them much anyway, and Ris could admit that the feeling was mutual.

"We'd love to. Thank you." said Emma, interrupting her friend. Ris glared at Emma for answering the question for her, but did not argue any further. The mayor noticed her discomfort but she didn't look offended.

"Great. Come inside. I'm Regina Mills, mayor of Storybrooke." said the mayor, Regina, proudly.

"So we've noticed." muttered Ris, looking around the mansion as Regina led them inside. It was as magnificent as it looked from the outside, just like she expected.

"Uh... I'm Emma Swan. This is Clarissa Silver." introduced Emma.

"It's nice to meet you." said Regina. Her words said that she was glad to make their acquintance, but her tone suggested otherwise. "Wait here, I'll get the glasses." she said, and left Emma and Ris waiting. Ris tugged at Emma's jacket to get her attention, as she usually did when she wanted a favor.

"Can we run away now that we can?" she whispered when Regina left.

"Why? She's just being nice. Besides, about three hours ago you were begging me for alcohol." replied Emma, crossing her arms.

"Can _I_ at least go? You were driving the car that got Henry here, I was just being your annoying sidekick."

"Absoloutely not. She's the mayor, that would be disrespectful."

"Am I supposed to care that she's the mayor? And since when do you care about what the higher class thinks of you?" asked Ris, raising an eyebrow. Emma remained silent. "Oh, I get it. This is about the little champ that this woman calls her son, isn't it? You wanna reclaim your title as mother?"

Regina got out of the kitchen with three glasses on her hands, saving Emma from answering the question. She said nothing and purred the cider.

"How did he find me?" asked Emma about Henry.

"No idea. When I adopted him, he was only three weeks old. Records were sealed. I was told the birth mother didn't want to have any contact." said Regina.

"You were told right."said Emma, akwardly.

"And the father?"

"There was one." said Emma.

"That's how it usually works." commented Ris at Emma's answer.

"Should I be worried about him?" asked Regina.

"No. He doesn't even know."

"Do I need to be worried about _you_ , miss Swan?" asked Regina, with a hint of threat in her voice.

"Absoloutely not." Emma hurried to reply.

Regina looked satisfied by Emma's answer. She handed her and Ris their apple cider with a kind, probably fake, smile. The three of them took a sip when the handsome guy from before came back downstairs.

"Madame Mayor, you can relax. Other than being a tired little boy, Henry's fine." he said.

"Don't be so surprised, it's not like we were torturing him." said Ris, gaining everyone's glances.

"Oh, no, I didn't mean it like that..." the guy started to apologise.

"Thank you sheriff." said Regina, interrupting whatever he had to say. He gave the three of them a nod, bidding them goodbye.

 _So he is the sheriff. They chose him wisely._ Thought Ris, checking him out as he walked to the door in a hurry. Thankfully, Regina had already turned around to lead them to a different room and she didn't see that. It would definetely be embarassing.

"I'm sorry he dragged you out of your life. I really don't know what's gotten into him." said Regina, snapping Ris out of her fantasy.

"Kid's having a rough time. It happens."

"You have to understand. Ever since I became mayor, balancing things has been tricky. You two have a job, I assume?"

"She's in college, but I keep busy, yeah." replied Emma, avoiding to mention that Ris dropped out.

"Imagine having another one on top of it. That's being a single mom. So I push for order. Am I strict? I suppose. But I do it for his own good. I want Henry to excel in life. I don't think that makes me evil, do you?"

"Are you talking about Evil Queen standards or regular ones?" said Ris casually, taking another sip of her cider. Regina looked at her curiously.

"Excuse me?" she asked.

"You know, Henry's book and the fairytale thing." said Ris.

"What fairytale thing?" asked Regina.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't realize you were completely clueless about a pretty important part of Henry's life. I mean, he _did_ tell _us_ about it, total strangers..." said Ris, as if she was talking about the weather and not insulting the mayor of Storybrooke about her skills as a mother.

Emma's eyes widened at her friend's rudeness. She would never get used to it. And she sure as hell wouldn't let her keep talking.

"Uh... Yeah... Sorry about her, it's really none of our business. He's _your_ kid, after all. And we really should be getting home." said Emma, more akwardly than ever, and she practically dragged Ris off her chair.

"Of course." said Regina, still glaring at Ris for her previous comment, and she opened the door.

"Thanks for the cider." said Ris and she handed Regina the empty glass. Regina glared even more in reply.

When the door closed behind them, Emma took off towards her car without looking at Ris.

"Oh, come on, Swan. Don't tell me you are mad." she called from behind Emma, picking up her pace to catch up with her.

"I'm not mad. In the car." said Emma and got in to the driver's seat.

"I just spoke the truth. She should've known about her son's fairytale infatuation." replied Ris, reclaiming the passenger's seat.

"Yeah. And you just _had_ to point that out on our first converstation with the woman."

"Why? You were planning on having a second one?"

Emma didn't speak. She just turned the car keys and drove away from Henry's house.

"You know, you are not off the hook from my previous question. I take it that mayor Mills really _should_ be worrying about you."

"Nope. You know why?" asked Emma.

"Why?"

"Because we are now going back home, and we'll empty all my bottles of wine, beer, and whatever alcohol I find, just like you planned when you came."

"I thought you didn't have any?"

"Of course I have some. But I wasn't gonna let you drink in front of a ten year old." said Emma.

"You know, I really hate you sometimes." muttered Ris. "Drive fast please. I really need to check on the motorcycle I left outside the building." she said when they were halfway out of town.

"You really wanna keep a stolen motorcycle?"

"You kept the yellow bug. Why can't I keep the Kawasaki?"

"That's different, I stole it from someone who stole it."

"Which only doubles the crime."

"No, I actually think it makes it half a crime."

"Whatever helps you sleep at night, Swan. Anyways, how much room do you think a Kawasaki needs?"

Emma almost hit a car at her friend's question. She sounded quite serious.

"You are not thinking of hiding it in your appartment, do you?" she asked.

"Of course not, don't be silly. There is barely enough room for _me_ in there. I'm hiding it in yours."

Emma almost hit another car.

"Why?" she asked Ris.

"Well, in case the guy I stole it from tells on me to the cops or comes looking for it himself..." Ris started.

"Hey, is there anything at the backseat? I think I heard something drop." said Emma, interrupting Ris from whatever nonsense she would say.

Ris looked behind and reached down to grab whatever had dropped. It was Henry's book. Ris grinned when she saw it.

"Looks like someone already misses you." she said to Emma, showing her the book.

"That sneaky little bastard." said Emma, although she didn't look mad. She looked amused. Ris shared Emma's smile for a second before she looked up and her expression turned into one of horror.

"EMMA WATCH OUT!" she screamed.

Thankfully, Emma looked up and saw the... wolf in front of her. She and Ris didn't have time to even wonder why the hell there was a wolf in the middle of the street. Emma made a quick turn, trying to ignore Ris's screams and swears that were obviously distracting her, and her car hit the _"Welcome to Storybrooke"_ sign quite roughly.

The two women only heard a loud howl before everything went black.

* * *

 _ **Boston**_

 _ **Three Years Ago...**_

"Excuse me?" said Emma Swan at the doorman of her appartment building.

"Can I help you Miss Swan?"

"Yeah, I just received a package that isn't mine. It was meant for someone named... Clarissa Silver." said Emma, reading the small note on the left side of the box. _"Happy Birthday Clarissa Silver"_ was what it said. It was really weird... She was almost one hundered percent sure that she knew this handwriting... It was messy and it looked like it was written in a moving car. But she decided to push that thought aside for that moment.

"Ah yes. You and Miss Silver both just moved here, there must've been some confusion. I apologise." the doorman said, extending his hand to take the box back.

"No worries, I can give it to her. Which is her appartment?" asked Emma, trying to be polite.

"She lives in the appartment 7D." replied the doorman, with some sort of... relief. It was like he was glad that Emma would deliver the package to that Silver girl instead of him.

Emma used the elevator to get to the seventh floor. She went down the hallway and knocked on the door of appartment 7D.

"Coming!" yelled a voice from inside the appartment.

Wait... That voice... Oh God. It was the smoker bitch from two days ago. She never got her name. She could now understand why the doorman wanted to avoid delivering the package himself. It wasn't like Emma was afraid of her, but she really didn't want an encounter with her ever again. But it was too late to turn back. She would just give the box to the Silver chick and leave.

The door opened, and as soon as it did it was about close again. It looked like the smoker girl didn't want to encounter Emma either. Well, she had to. Emma put her foot in fornt of the door, preventing it from closing. The Silver girl groaned in frustration, but she let the door open fully.

"What, Swan? I haven't smoken inside the building in two days. If you smelt smoke, it wasn't mine." she said, obviously annoyed.

"Actually, I received this. It was meant for you." said Emma and handed the small box to her.

The girl quickly grabbed the box and read the message on the left side, as if she was used to doing that. Emma thought she saw some sort of... Smile on the girl's face. Like she was expecting to receive that box for a long time. It was gone before Emma got the chance to blink. The girl looked back at her, coldly.

"Thank you for bringing it. You can go now."

"Right, you're welcome." said Emma and turned around to leave. But before she did, she looked at Clarissa over her shoulder again.

"Uh, happy birthday." she told her with an akward smile. She didn't know why she did that. But she somehow knew that the girl would spend her birthday alone, like _she_ had her entire life. The least she could offer her was a happy birthday wish.

Clarissa looked up in surprise.

"This is actually three days late but... Thanks." she muttered akwardly, pointing at the present box and closed her door.

Emma smiled. _That went well._ She thought. She had just had her first civilised converstation during her first week in this building. That was progress.

* * *

 _ **Storybrooke**_

 _ **Present Time...**_

"Miss Silver?"

Her name was the first thing Ris heard when she woke up. She opened her eyes and once they adjusted to the light she saw a man standing in front of her bed. Wait, what? Her bed? When did she... Right. Henry. Storybrooke. Bitchy mayor. Wolf. Crash. She looked around to see that she was in a hospital room. She tried to sit up, but a sharp pain on her head prevented her.

"Son of a bitch..." she muttered and lied down again. She looked up and saw that the man, who she recognised as the hot sheriff from yesterday, was still looking at her.

"What time is it?" she asked.

"It's almost eight." replied the sheriff.

"Then why are you standing here like a creep and not letting me sleep?"

"You know, you should be glad that you woke. According to Dr Whale you hit your head pretty hard." replied the sheriff.

Ris sat up slowly and instinctively rubbed the back of her head.

"How bad is it?" she asked.

"No need to worry. You woke, so everything should be fine."

"Do not get me wrong... Actually, do get me wrong. What do you want?"

"It's about your friend, Emma."

"Where is she? Is she okay?" said Ris trying to stand, but failing.

"Take it easy there." said the sheriff with a small smirk.

"Where is Emma?" asked Ris again, annoyed at the sheriff's attitude.

"I arrested her for drunk driving. She's at the station right now, you can come and..."

"Emma wasn't drunk! She only had the apple cider thingy that bitch gave us."

"Calling the mayor names in front of a cop? That's risky." said the sheriff, looking even more amused.

"Go tell her. See if I care. Just take me to the damn station." said Ris.

"You should rest for a few more minuites." said the sheriff.

"No. Take me to Emma."

"I'll just go get Dr Whale." he said and quickly got out of the room closing the glass door behind him.

"Idiot..." muttered Ris and lied back on her bed.

She could've told the sheriff about the wolf, but who in their right minds would belive that? Wolves in Maine was even more ridiculous than Henry's curse nonsense. But she was sure she saw it clearly. And Emma obviously did as well. This Storybrooke place was certainly strange.

The sheriff came back with the doctor a few minuites later.

"What do you say, Dr Whale?" asked the sheriff. Dr Whale looked at Ris.

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

"Like I wanna punch you both." she replied with a fake smile.

"She sounds fine to me." said the sheriff with a smirk, again.

"It doesn't look like there are any serious injuries."

"Great. Can I go now?" asked Ris.

"You can, although I wouldn't suggest that..."

"Get me to the station." said Ris and quickly got up, ignoring Dr Whale's suggestion and the pain on her head.

Graham grinned at her immature attitude before following her and driving her to the station.

* * *

 **A/N: Thank you for reading!:-D  
**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: DEATH NOTE REFERENCES FOR DAYS!:-D**

* * *

 **Chapter 4**

Hours passed until Emma woke up. She found herself lied on a quite uncomfortable bed. She looked around and the first thing she noticed were the cell bars. Great. She was at the sheriff station because of a wolf randomly appearing on her way back to Boston. What the hell was a damn wolf doing in Maine? And where the hell was Ris? She must've been injured from the crash. And what was that annoying whistling sound that she could hear from somewhere in the office?

Emma looked inside the cell next to her own to find a short man sitting there and whistling, like he had no care in the world.

"What are you looking at sister?" he asked rudely. Emma wasn't offended, she was used to this kind of behavior from Ris. She looked away from the rude man and her eyes snapped at an older man who spoke.

"Leroy, manners. We have a guest." said the older man. "So you are Henry's mother? How lovely for him to have you back in his life." he continued.

Emma hurried to reply, not wanting any more trouble with the mayor. Especially after Ris's behavior towards her last night.

"Actually, I was just dropping him off..." she said.

"I don't blame you. They are all brats, who needs them?" said her fellow cellmate, Leroy.

"Well I'd give anything for one. My wife and I tried for years, but it was not meant to be." said the man nostalgicaly.

"Cry me a river." said Leroy. Wow. Absoloutely no sensibilities. He and Ris would surely get along perfectly.

Emma was about to say something to the old man to cover up for Leroy's rude comment, but she was interrupted by two voices coming from outside the office.

"You know, maybe I should get _you_ in jail instead of your friend." Emma heard the sheriff's voice saying.

"Your car's speed was practically daring me to grab your steering wheel and make you reach the speed limit. When there's an emergency, we hurry. We don't slack off, sheriff." said Ris's voice. From what Emma had heard, she would guess that Ris had already gotten on the authority's bad side. It wasn't really that surprising. Soon, the two of them came in sight, but the other three presences in the station didn't manage to make them pause their arguement.

"Murder is an emergency. Robbery is an emergency." said the sheriff, as if he was talking to a five year old.

"Last time I checked, you weren't the judge of what's an emergency and what's not. Now, will you stop wasting my time and let Swan out like you promised?" said Ris, losing her patience.

"Someone woke at the wrong side of the bed today." commented Leroy. Ris's head snapped to his direction.

"No one asked for your opinion, shorty." she said. Emma leaned on the bars, ready to interfere.

"Did she give you a hard time?" she asked the sheriff. The sheriff's attention turned to her.

"Hard doesn't even begin to describe it." he replied, but his lips formed a grin when he looked at her. "But I'm willing to forgive and forget." he said.

"How sweet of you." said Ris, angrily. "Will you get her out now?"

The sheriff took hold of a set of keys. But the look he gave Ris said that they weren't for Emma's cell. He headed to Leroy's cell, and he unlocked it.

"Leroy. I'm getting you out but you're going to behave." he said, letting him out of the cell. "So put on a smile, and stay out of trouble" he advised. Leroy glanced at the sheriff with a bored expression. It looked as if he was fighting a battle to put on a fake smile. One that revealed that he sure as hell wouldn't stay out of trouble. When Leroy got out of the room, Emma restarted the convertation.

"I think I should apologise for her part." she said, glancing at Ris. "Again." she added.

"You know, maybe I shouldn't have come to get you out of jail. Is that the 'thank you' you are sticking with?" asked Ris.

"Your friend broke at least five rules from the Highway Code in less that fifteen minuites. But don't worry about it. As I said, I'm willing to forgive and forget." said the sheriff, standing in front of Emma's cell. "Now, about your situation. I think that Regina's drinks are a little stronger than we thought." he said.

"As if. I'd get more drunk if I had water." commented Ris.

"I wasn't drunk. There was a wolf standing in the middle of the street." said Emma.

"Miss Silver didn't mention a wolf." said the sheriff. Emma threw Ris a look, which translated into 'you are such a traitor'.

"As if you'd believe me if I said that. A story about a wolf in Maine sounds like a story faker than Henry's stories. But since you mentioned it, there was a wolf. A white one. It howled as well." said Ris. The sheriff rolled his eyes at Ris's statement.

"Sure there was." he said.

 _"Graham?"_ said a voice from outside the room. A few seconds later, the mayor walked in the station. She appeared to be in quite a bad mood.

"Henry's ran away again, maybe we should..." she said, but she stopped when she saw Emma and Ris.

"What are _they_ doing here?" she said.

"It's good to see you too, Gina." murmured Ris, a little bit too casually for someone that had insulted the mayor right at her face less than 12 hours ago. Regina looked furious. But her worry about Henry seemed to be sidelining her pride, so she didn't say anything in return.

"Do you know where he is?" she asked them, rushing in front of the bars.

"Honey, I haven't seen him since we dropped him at your house. And, I have a pretty good alibi." said Emma. Those cell bars were really starting to bug her. It was pretty uncomfortable talking to the mayor behind them.

"Looks like your son has a habit of running away from you. And the fact that you have no idea where he is..." started Ris, ready to throw another insult. Thankfully, Regina talked before she finished her sentence.

"He wasn't in his room this morning." she said.

"Did you try his friends?" asked Emma.

"He doesn't really have any. He's kind of a loner." replied Regina.

 _'I wonder who that reminds me of...'_ thought Emma. "Every kid has friends. Did you check his computer? If he's close to someone, he'd be emailing them." she said.

"And you know this how?"

"Finding people is what I do. Here's an idea. How about you guys let me out and I'll help you find him."

Regina didn't want to let her go. That much was clear. But Henry's safety was more important. Desperate time called for desperate measures. So she gave in and allowed the sheriff to unlock Emma's cell and let her out.

* * *

Regina, Graham, Ris and Emma had gotten back to Regina's mansion and into Henry's room. Emma was checking for any signs that could lead to Henry through his computer.

"Smart kid. Cleared his inbox. I'm smart too. A little hard disk recovery utility I like to use..." said Emma, connecting her little device to Henry's computer.

"Okay, now you're just showing off." commented Ris. She was leaning on the wall next to Henry's desk, waiting for Emma to find Henry, since she couldn't really do anything about it.

"I'm a bit more old fashioned in my techniques. Pounding the pavement, knocking on doors, that sort of thing." said Graham.

"Using that technique, we'd find Henry in five never years. Good looks can not always solve your cases you know." muttered Ris, as if she hadn't bothered Graham enough for one day.

"I'll just pretend I only heard the good looks part." he said, ignoring her insulting tone and not taking his eyes off the screen. Ris rolled her eyes and snapped her attention back to Emma.

"Gotcha. His receipt for a website... It's expensive. He has a credit card?" said Emma.

"Quite a spoiled little guy you've got there, madame mayor." said Ris.

"I'm not spoilling my son, Miss Silver. Of course he doesn't have a credit card, he's ten." said Regina.

"Well, he used one. Let's pull up a transaction record. Mary Margaret Blanchard… Who's Mary Margaret Blanchard?"

Everyone looked at Regina for a reply. Somehow, the mayor looked even angrier than before. There appeared to be some bad blood there.

"Henry's teacher." she replied, with a tone of resentment.

* * *

 _ **Boston**_

 _ **Three Years Ago...**_

Emma didn't expect to hear knocking on her door on a Sunday morning. Or ever... She was a loner so she never really had friends over. Or friends in general. She didn't get the door immediately, but the knocking continued. Eventually, she got up from her spot on the couch and walked to the door, curiously. She was surprised to see the one and only Clarissa Silver standing in front of her. She was holding the box that Emma had given her three days ago. Her birthday present.

"Hey there, Swan." she said, sounding like she would rather be anywhere else.

"Uh... Can I help you?" said Emma.

"May I enter?"

Emma didn't know how to answer that. She didn't think that one 'happy birthday' wish would change their relationship status to friends, not even acquintances. And yet there she was, about to let her in. That was probably due to her finding out that the girl had just moved out of an orphanage. It was clear that the girl had a hard time there, which reflected her time at the system. Not to mention that her attitude kind of reminded her of her own after she escaped from it seven years ago.

"Yes of course, come in." said Emma, opening the door wider. Clarissa walked inside the appartment and Emma closed the door behind her.

"Should I get you anything? Coffe, juice..." offered Emma.

"No it's fine. I just want to talk." replied Clarissa.

"Have a seat." said Emma, pointing at the couch.

The two of them sat, and Emma waited for Clarissa to say something. Clarissa only looked around the room, as if she was looking for inspiration about what to say.

"Are you going to talk or..." started Emma.

"I need help." said Clarissa, shifting into a more comfortable position on the couch, after she seemingly made her mind.

"I know a good therapist, I can get you in contact with him..."

"Not that kind of help." said Clarissa, rolling her eyes at Emma's assumptions. "I need _your_ help." she added.

"What for?"

Clarissa picked up her present box and held it in front of Emma.

"See, I've been receiving these on my birthday since I was eight. All are from someone anonymous, and I am not talking about the one with the creepy mask. The problem is, I don't know anyone outside of the orphanage. And trust me, no one in there would even think of giving me a happy birthday wish."

"What does that have to do with me?"

"A week ago, you told me that you are a bail bonds woman. I had nothing better to do, so I googled it because I had no idea what that was. I found out that your job has something to do with finding people, right?"

"That's what I do. My guess is that you want me to find the anonymous person."

"Yes. I need to know that he or she is not a creepy stalker who is waiting in a corner to kill me with a hammer. Of course I can pay you..."

"Would _that_ be a problem?"

"Pfft. I can manage. Just name your price."

The girl obviously couldn't pay her. Even if she tried to hide it with her casual behavior, Emma could tell that she couldn't afford anything at that time.

"Can I ask you something?" she asked.

"Go ahead." said Clarissa, raising her shoulders and putting on an indifferent expression.

"How long were you planning to wait before changing your adress and phone number after I've found your anonymous stranger?" she asked. Clarissa's indifferent expression was replaced almost instantly with pure anger. The girl had obviously overestimated her acting skills. "You know, here's the thing." started Emma once again, crossing he arms. "I happen to have a special skill. A superpower, is what I call it. I can tell when anyone is lying. You can't pay, that much is obvious. I bet you didn't even google my job. It just took you a while to figure out the right plan in order to disappear and avoid paying after I've helped you." she said, bringing her theory to a conclusion. Clarissa grew even more pissed off. She looked like she was trying her best not to snap. She pulled herself together rather quickly by putting on a smile, as if nothing had happened.

"Well. It appears that you've pulled a Ryuzaki on me and uncovered all of my evil plans." she said, as she pushed herself off Emma's couch, preparing to leave. "It was a good talk, Swan." she said and walked to the door, purposely leaving her present box on Emma's couch.

"Wait." called Emma from behind as Clarissa was about to walk through the doorframe. She looked back at Emma as the blonde held up the box. "Is _this_..." she started, pointing at it and raising her eyebrow "...your attempt of getting me to pity you, hoping that I'm a good person and I'll help you anyways?" she asked.

"I don't want your pity." said Clarissa, angrily. She re-closed the door and faced Emma once again. "But come on, don't you at least feel _a little_ sorry?" she asked. Her words along with her facial expression as she spoke them almost made a Emma crack a smile. This was _exactly_ how she and Lily used to act back in the days.

"Tell you what." said Emma, throwing the box back at Clarissa, and she caught it with one hand. "Why don't I accompany my late 'happy birthday' wish with a late 'happy birthday' gift." she proposed. Clarissa's lips formed a smirk at the statement.

"Like the mysterious stranger's name and adress in a silver plater?" she asked.

"You've got it. However, I have one condition." she said.

"Spill it out." Clarissa hurried to say.

"No more lying." said Emma.

"Lying? What is that? I've never heard of such a term." she said, excitedely.

"Good." said Emma, with a sense of finalty in her voice. She then walked to her kitchen, picking up two cups from her cabinet. "Now, about that coffee..."

* * *

 _ **Storybrooke**_

 _ **Present Time...**_

"As we build our bird houses, remember, what you're making is a home, not a cage. The bird is free and will do what it will. This is for them, not us. They're loyal creatures. If you love them and they love you, they will always find you." said Mary Margaret Blanchard to the children in her classroom. She opened the window, and she let a little blue bird fly out of her classroom.

The bell rang, and the children began running out of their classroom, ready to get on their after school activities. Outside of the classroom, Regina, Ris and Emma were struggling to move past the bubbling kids.

"Damn little brats..." Emma heard Ris mutter.

"You could've whispered that, Scrouge." whispered Emma.

"It's no secret that I hate kids." she said as a kid ran right past her, almost knocking her down in the process.

"You seemed to like Henry."

"Henry came to my defence when I asked for a stop for snacks yesterday. He's cool in my book."

The three women managed to move past the kids and they got inside the classroom. Mary Margaret was a short woman around Emma's age with a pixie haircut, and according to Ris, a veru bad choice at clothing.

"Miss Mills. What are you doing here?" she asked Regina.

"Where's my son?" asked Regina, quite accusingly.

"Henry, I assumed he was home sick with you." said Mary Margaret.

"Well, we're here looking for him so..." said Ris.

"I'm sorry, who are y..." started Mary Margaret.

"Did you give him your credit card so he could find _them_?" said Regina, interruptin the teacher's question and pointing at Emma and Ris.

"Who are they?" repeated Mary Margaret.

"I'm his... Uh..." said Emma, awkwardly.

"She's the woman who gave him up for adoption." said Regina.

"You could've just said birthmother and saved yourself a few seconds." said Ris. "I'm just sticking around cause I need a ride home." she said, looking at Mary Margaret.

Mary Margaret was speechless. She was surprised by both the facts that Henry had her credit card and that his birthmother was in Storybrooke. She looked through her bag to find her credit card.

"You don't know anything about this, do you?" said Emma.

"No, unfortunately not." said Mary Margaret, looking at her empty wallet.

"Clever boy… I should never have given him that book."

"What the hell is this book I keep hearing about?" asked Regina, furiously.

"Just some old stories I gave him. As you well know, Henry is a special boy. So smart, so creative, and as you might be aware, lonely. He needed it." said Mary Margaret.

"What he needs is a dose of reality. This is a waste of time." said Regina and she headed to the classroom's door. "Have a nice trip back to Boston." she added, indirectly asking them to get the hell out of her town. She knocked down some of the books on a desk on her way out.

Ris approached Mary Margaret, willing to get some of the tension away. "In case you were wondering, she knocked those books down on purpose." she said

Emma got on her knees to help Mary Margaret get the books from the floor.

"Sorry to bother you." she said.

"No it's… It's okay. I hear this is partially my fault."

"To be fair, you don't control a kid's action's. Regina is the mother, so she should've taught him not to be a sneaky brat." said Ris.

"No, it's my fault. It's because of the book..."

"How's the book supposed to help him?" asked Emma.

"What do you think stories are for? These stories are classics. There's a reason we all know them. They're a way for us to deal with our world. A world that doesn't always make sense." explained Mary Margaret, leading them out of the classroom. "See, Henry hasn't had the easiest life." she added with a tone of sympathy.

"Fairytale fantasies and a bitchy adopted mother are not a good mix for a ten year old." said Ris.

"No, it's not just her. He's like any adopted child. He wrestles with that most basic question they all inevitably face. Why would anyone give me away?"

Ris gave a look to Mary Margaret while Emma only looked uncomfortable. Mary Margaret eventually realized what she just said, and she gasped, embarassingly.

"I am so sorry. I'm really sorry. I didn't mean in any way to judge you." she said quickly, trying to cover up for what she said.

"No, it's okay." said Emma.

"Look, I gave the book to him because I wanted Henry to have the most important thing anyone can have." she said. Emma and Ris stared at the teacher, expectingly. "Hope. Believing in even the possibility of a happy ending is a very powerful thing." added Mary Margaret.

"You know where he is, don't you?" asked Emma. It was as if she could read Mary Margaret's mind.

"You might wanna check his castle." replied Mary Margaret.

"Castle?" asked Ris.

"It's a place he likes to go to often. Regina doesn't know of it. But I don't think Henry would mind if you two did." said Mary Margaret, giving them an encouraging smile.

* * *

"There he is." said Ris, pointing at Henry when she spotted him through the car's window. The kid was sitting on a wooden playground, a really old one, and he was reading his book, as always.

"This is the second time we have to return him to his mom in less than twenty four hours." said Emma.

"Well, what can you do? A mom like that almost makes me miss the orphanage." said Ris. "Well, almost." she added, realizing what she had just said.

"Still his mother." said Emma, unbuckling her seat belt.

"And yet Henry came to _you_ when he was feeling lonely." said Ris, casually, making Emma stop her move to get out of the car.

"This isn't about me. It's because he thinks I'm gonna support whatever fairy tale theory he's come up with." she said.

"I don't think that's the case." said Ris. Her tone was serious, opposing her usual way of speaking. "Sure, the kid might need somebody to believe him, but driving him to the point of stealing his teacher's credit card and going through the trouble of finding his birth mother? That's not how kids usually act. Only when they feel neglected."

"I didn't raise him. I'm not the mother he needs right now." Emma insisted. Ris's lips formed a grin. "What's so funny?" she asked.

"Are you trying to get me to pity you so that I'll tell you what you want to hear?" asked Ris, mimicking Emma's voice from three years ago, when she had asked her something very similar. Emma rolled her eyes in amusement.

"A word of encouragement wouldn't be so bad right now." she muttered, and she exited the car. Ris did the same two seconds later.

"If you want my opinion, I think that the whole fairytale curse thing is only an excuse for him to come close to you. He could've played that game with any other kid his age, which would be much easier to convince." she said. Emma gave her a faint smile for the words of encouragement.

"Thanks. Not just for this, but for your patience. Normally you would've flipped tables by now." said Emma, making Ris chuckle.

"Well, Swan. I'm off. Call me to meet me by the clock tower whenever you are done." she said, and she began walking off.

"Aren't you coming along? Henry appears to be fond of you as well."

"He does, but I wouldn't want to come between a perfect mother and son moment. Besides, I don't want to give you the opportunity to escape being truthful around Henry." she said, in a scolding tone. "Now go. The kid has been waiting for you up there all day." she added, pointing at Henry.

"Fine then. Here it goes." said Emma, placing her hands in her pockets and walking off to her son.

* * *

Ris walked through the town for about half an hour. Storybrooke was quite a small town, but it was charming. Although it looked like it didn't often have visitors. She could tell by the looks she received by the town's people whenever she walked by. It was as if they had just seen an alien. The town reminded her of how small villages were like in movies. Everyone appeared to know each other, and that was why she was receiving the weird looks. What grabbed Ris's attention the most was a small shop. It had a sign that read _"Mr Gold's"_. Only the name irony was enough to persuade her to check it out. Ris peeked inside through the window and the stuff she saw in there immediately caught her attention. This was definetely not a typical store. She decided to enter it, just to take a look at all of the weird thing she saw.

A little bell rang as she went through the door. First things she noticed were two puppets. They reminded her of all the creepy dolls in horror movies, which the victims were always so stupid to buy and eventually get killed by them. She bent to take a closer look. They were made of wood, but still, when she looked in their eyes she could swear they were staring right back at...

"Can I help you?" asked a man's voice.

Ris jumped and let out a small gasp of surprise at the new presence. The presence was a shorter man. He looked like he was at his late forties, and despite his height and the cane he was holding for his obviously hurt leg, the look he was giving her was quite intimidating.

"Sneaking up on people. Not cool man." she muttered.

"Were you expecting not to find anyone in an open shop?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No, for one I was expecting the owner to be over there at the desk. Do you always wait for the custumers in a dark corner so that you can sneak up on them?" said Ris, using her bubbling to make up for her surprised reaction.

"Do you need help?" he asked, losing his patience.

"I'm broke. I was just looking around. Anyway, what kind of a store is this?" said Ris.

"I wouldn't exactly call it a store. It's a pawn shop. The objects you see here are quite special. They can not be found anywhere else." said Mr Gold. waving his arm around the shop.

"That sounded like those annoying ads I get on my laptop. Only that I can't select ' _close ad'_..." muttered Ris with a grin.

"Excuse me?" asked Mr Gold, confused at what Ris was saying.

"Oh nothing. Just wondering where these dolls are from and why you have them laying around so casually. I swear, right before you arrived they were staring into my soul." said Ris, carelessly.

"Considering the attention they got from you, I'd say their presence here is quite efficient." he said.

"I see..." said Ris.

"Do you have a name?" asked Mr Gold, curiously.

"It's Clarissa Silver." said Ris.

"Silver? I predict we'll get along just perfectly." commented Mr Gold, at the name irony. He extended his arm for her to shake. It appeared that the man wanted a proper introduction.

"I'm not sticking around." said Ris, making him drop his hand. "Just waiting for my ride home to be done with her business and then I'm going back home."

Right when she said those words, she caught the yellow bug from the corner of her eye stopping in front of the pawn shop. Emma had arrived just in time. Her blonde friend exited the car, banging the door behind her furiously. She wasn't in a good mood.

"And there is my ride home. It was good to meet you." said Ris, and she hurried out of the shop.

"Good to meet you too, Miss Silver." said Gold to himself when Ris walked through the door. He had a feeling he had not seen the last of the young woman...

* * *

"Okay, what got your panties in a twist?" asked Ris, walking towards Emma. She had taken her phone out and was dialing a number. Hers, probably, but when she saw Ris, she placed her phone back inside her pocket.

"Regina." said Emma simply.

"What did she do again?" asked Ris. She was getting tired with the mayor's issues already. And she only knew her for one day.

"She said that if we don't leave _her_ town, she'll destroy us no matter what."

"So, the big bad mayor practically told us to fuck off." said Ris. Emma nodded, and she reached inside her other pocket.

"You know, you were right. Henry came to me because he was miserable. At first I wasn't sure whether I wanted to stay here or not. But..." she started, taking out her car keys.

"But then Regina told you to leave, so according to reverse phsycology that means you'll have to stay. And here I was, thinking that reverse phsycology only affected teenagers." completed Ris. Emma rolled her eyes, and handed her the keys.

"Take my car. Go back to Boston and hide your bike. And please, do try and go back to college." she instructed.

"No, you don't get to do that. You don't just give me your car and expect me to let you deal with Regina George all by yourself." said Ris, handing Emma's keys back to her.

"Ris, this is _my_ problem. You don't have to drag yourself into it. Besides, you hate small towns. You've only lived in Boston and London. I don't think Storybrooke has a chance at meeting your standards after tewnty one years of living in big cities."

"I could use a change of scenery." said Ris, almost pleadingly. "Besides, the big bad mayor threatened to destroy _me_ as well. It is officially personal." she continued.

"You don't have to make my problems yours as well. You should leave before this turns into a war."

"War? And you expect me to leave after finding out that there is a chance of a war between you and her?"

"I'm serious." insisted Emma, extending the hand that was holding the car keys, offering them once more.

"So am I." said Ris, with finalty in her voice. Emma understood that there was no changing Ris's mind. So she only sighed as she placed her keys back in her pocket.

"Once we settle and you start complaining, you'll just have to deal with it. Cause this car won't be going anywhere." said Emma, and she began walking off.

"Where are you going?" asked Ris.

"We'll be here a while. We might as well find a place." replied Emma.

* * *

Emma and Ris eventually found a place. It was called _"Granny's bed and breakfast"_. First thing the women heard when they entered it were two voices, arguing. It was an old woman and a young girl, who must've been her grandaughter. The grandaughter was dressed in a way that was bound to anger an old woman. It reminded Ris of how she used to dress when she was going through her gothic phase. Only with more red than black. They were arguing so loudly, that they didn't even notice Emma and Ris standing there.

"Excuse me?" said Emma. The old woman looked at them, finally aknowledging their presence. "We'd like a room."

"Really? Would you like a forest view or a square view? Normally, there's an upgrade fee for the square but, as friends do, I'll wave it." said the woman. She sounded really surprised that someone was booking a room. It seemed like there had never been a stranger to Storybrooke, just like Henry said.

"Square is fine." said Emma.

"Now, the names?" asked the old lady, putting on her glasses.

"Clarissa Silver and Emma Swan." replied Emma. The woman nodded and took out a pen and wrote their names down.

"Emma. What a lovely name." said a voice from behind her. Ris and Emma looked behind them to face the owner of the voice. Ris recognised him as Mr Gold, the guy she had met earlier that day.

"You again. Sneaking up on people. Again." she said.

"Miss Silver. I see you didn't take that ride home after all." he stated.

"There has been a change of plans." explained Ris.

"How lovely to hear that." he said, smiling.

"It's all here." said the old woman, getting Mr Gold's attention and passing him a roll of bills.

"Yes, of course dear, thank you." he said and took the money.

"Enjoy your stay then, Miss Silver. Emma." he said before exiting the inn.

"Why did you pay Mr Gold?" asked Ris.

"Who's Mr Gold?" asked Emma.

"He owns this place." answered the woman.

"The inn?" asked Emma.

"No, the town." corrected the woman, her voice holding some resentment towards Mr Gold. "So, how long will you be with us?" she asked, quickly changing the subject.

"Uh, we're not really sure. Let's say a week. For now." replied Emma.

"Great. Welcome to Storybrooke." said the woman, and handed Emma their room's key.

* * *

A few miles away, Henry was looking out of his window. A happy smile reached his face when the clock moved for the first time after twenty eight years. Emma had decided to stay. It was finally time for the curse to be broken.

* * *

 **A/N: Thank you for reading!:-)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

"Wake up, lazy."

That was the first thing Ris heard in the morning, which made her eyes open widely. Emma had just taken the covers off of her and had opened every curtain in the room, letting the sunlight make the room annoyngly bright. Her blonde friend seemed to forget how much of a not morning person Ris was.

"What the fucking hell are you waking me up for?" asked Ris, taking her pillow and slamming it over her face.

"After being so persistant about your stay in Storybrooke, you should've seen some changes on your usual schedule coming. I don't do well with narcoleptic roomates." replied Emma, getting the pillow away from Ris and throwing it on the other side of the room.

"I'm not narcoleptic! I was an early bird back in London. It's just that I slept after midnight." defended Ris as she got into a sitting position on her bed.

"That's because you were out smoking until afrter midnight." said Emma.

"I hadn't smoken since I arrived in Boston, thank you very much for that."

"I thought I threw away your last cigarette."

"You did. Just because this is a small and old fashioned town doesn't mean I can't find more. It was tough though, I have to say."

"Now that you've mentioned smoking, if you're to be around Henry, you're gonna have to quit it."

"Forget it." said Ris with no hesitation, and she headed to the bathroom.

"I expected more cooperation from someone whose stay here depends on my cash."

Ris faced Emma before entering the bathroom, flashing her a fake smile.

"Wow Emma. It's so touching that you care about my well being. Thanks, but no thanks." she said, and entered the bathroom, closing the door behind her.

"Fine then. It's gonna be _your_ lung cancer, not mine." shouted Emma.

"Leave me alone, Swan." shouted back Ris. Emma laughed at her friend's inability to cooperate, and she moved to the room's window, gazing at the town of Storybrooke. She didn't fail to realize that the clock had moved. If only Henry was there. He would surely be jumping up and down from joy. Emma wouldn't put it past the kid to have climbed up the tower and fixed it himself, just to make his fairytale fantasies easier for her to believe.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door. She curiously walked over to get it. The door opened to reveal the mayor standing behind it. She was surprised, but not that surprised. The woman had ordered her to get the hell out of Storybrooke, and the next morning, there she was still. She had a smile on her face, and in her arms was a basket full of apples. She was holding it like she was offering it to her, as if nothing had happened yesterday.

"Did you know the Honeycrisp tree is the most vigorous and hearty of all apple trees?" she said. Emma raised her eyebrow at the mayor's greeting. "It can survive temperatures as low as forty below and keep growing. It can weather any storm. I have one that I've tended to since I was a little girl." sha added, and she carefully removed an apple from the basket and offererd it to Emma. "And to this day, I have yet to taste anything more delicious than the fruit it offers.".

Emma did not fail to realize that her smile and kind tone were fake, since the gleam in her eyes totally opposed the sincerity that her words suggested.

"Thanks." said Emma, and took the apple that Regina was offering, pretending not to understand the hidden meaning of her kindness.

"Okay Swan, I'm fully awake now. Shall we go and get some breakfast?." said Ris as she got out of the bathroom. "Oh, apple. Thanks." she said, and snatched the apple from Emma's hand. She was about to take a bite when she saw Regina. "Madame mayor. To what do we owe the pleasure?" she asked with a smile, even faker than Regina's.

"I was just stopping by to give you these." said Regina and extended the basket that contained the apples. "I hope you do enjoy them on your drive to Boston."

"Actually, we decided to stay a while." said Emma in a casual tone that she knew was gonna piss Regina.

"But we _are_ keeping the apples." said Ris, quickly taking the basket from the mayor's hands.

"I don't think that's a good idea." said Regina, her previous smile disappearing.

"Why? You gave them to us. I'm way too nice to reject a gift from you, Regina." joked Ris, following Emma's example of angering the mayor.

"Not _that_." she said, angrily. "Henry has enough issues, he doesn't need you confusing him, Miss Swan." she said, turning back to Emma.

"All due respect, but the fact that you have now threatened us twice in the last twelve hours makes me want to stay more." said Emma.

"Reverse psychology at its finest. You know, the one that parents use in order to..." said Ris.

"I know what reverse psychology is, Miss Silver. You seem to forget that I am a mother." argued Regina, officially pissed.

"Not a really hard thing to do." muttered Ris innocently.

"I do not appreciare your tone. Trust me, out of me and your friend only one knows what's best for Henry."

"Yeah, I'm starting to belive that's true." said Emma. Regina's face twisted in frustration even more as she glared at Emma and Ris, testing out whether looks could kill.

"Burn." commented Ris, throwing Emma an approving look.

"It's time for you two to go." said Regina, with a serious tone this time.

"Or what?" asked Emma, not even slightly intimidated by her.

"Do not underestimate me." threatened Regina, attempting to change her attitude. "You have no idea what I'm capable of." she finished dramatically, and turned around to leave.

"Have a nice fall of a cliff! Thanks for the apples!" shouted Ris from behind Regina, in a tone that sounded like she was wishing for her to have a good day. She slammed the door closed quickly, before Regina realized what she just said to her. She turned to Emma with a satisfied smile. Emma wanted to scold her for once again being directly rude to the mayor, but after knowing the woman for a day, she just couldn't find the will to do that.

"So, about that breakfast." she said.

* * *

 _ **Boston**_

 _ **Three Years Ago...**_

Emma knocked on the apartment's door and waited for the owner inside to let her in.

It had been two days since Clarissa asked for her help, and she had already found the mysterious staranger that had been sending her those gifts. But she had a lot of doubts about this. Getting this guy's name and address had barely been a struggle. It wasn't as if the empoyees at the post office had sworn to secrecy. Once she informed them of her profession, they were quick to assist her with no hesitation. If the guy wasn't even trying to hide, why the anonymous gifts?

The door opened to reveal the man that would hopefully answer her questions. He appeared to be in his mid forties, and was without a doubt Asian. His kind smile was reassuring, and it convinced Emma that he would be cooperative.

"Can I help you?" he asked.

"I'm Emma Swan. We talked through the phone yesterday and you told me to meet you here?"

"Right, of course. Please come in." he said and stepped aside to let Emma in. Emma walked inside and the man closed the door behind them.

"We haven't been properly introduced. I'm Ryan Parker, college professor." he said, extending his hand and offering a friendly handshake.

"Emma Swan. Bail bonds woman." said Emma, shaking the man's hand.

"Good to meet you. Have a seat please." said Ryan, pointing at the couch in his living room. Emma took a seat, ready to start with her questioning.

"Would you like some coffee, tea, anything?" he asked, already heading to his kitchen.

"No it's fine, this will just be a few minuites." said Emma, making him stop in his tracks.

"Okay then." said Ryan, and he sat on the couch across her. "How can I help you, miss Swan?"

"It's about someone really close to you." she started, and paused, studying his reactions very cautiously. Or lack of them in his case. He didn't appear to know what she was talking about, so she continued. "It's Clarissa Silver." she said, hoping that at least her name would cause a reaction. He flinched at the sound of it, which gave Emma the confirmation she needed.

"I'm sorry, who?" said Ryan. His voice was tense, as well as his whole body. He was trying to act clueless, but he wasn't a really good actor. That made Emma suspicious, as to why he didn't appear to know what this was about the moment she started talking.

"You can drop the act. You know who I'm talking about." she pressed.

"I'm sorry but I don't." said Ryan. He was slowly losing his cool. He was so nervous, that Emma could swear that sweat was forming at his forehead.

"Listen, I don't want any trouble. But I can tell when people are lying, and you are. So please, stop wasting my time and explain the reason you are acting clueless when you clearly aren't."

"I already told you, I don't..."

"I said, you can start explaining." said Emma, calmly, stopping the man from coming up with any excuses. Ryan sighed in defeat, and placed his head on his hands for a few moments. When he looked up again, he didn't appear any calmer, but at least it looked like he was apologetic.

"I'm sorry, Miss Swan. But as you can probably guess, this wasn't supposed to happen. Miss Silver was supposed to receive her presents every year and enjoy them with no questioning. She was definetely not supposed to turn this into a case."

"Don't you think she would want to know the anonymous stranger she has never met who happens to know her every move? Your actions suggest stalking, anyone in her place would do the same."

"I'm not a stalker, Miss Swan. Is this how you would define someone that goes out of his way to give some happiness to an orphan?" he said, defensively.

"If you describe what you are doing as 'going out of your way', why haven't you even bothered to introduce yourself? Why are you leaving her in the dark?"

"This girl is none of my business. I'm just the delivery guy."

"You mean that someone is putting you up to this? Someone that _does_ have business with Clarissa?"

"It goes like this. I receive a package every year and I deliver it to Miss Silver for a few cash in return. Nothing more, nothing less. It's quite simple, really."

"Alright, so I suppose you can tell me which post office the package came from this year." stated Emma. She was willing to go from one post office to another to solve this.

"I don't receive them from a post office. The person you are looking for gives them to me himself in order to avoid situations like this."

"What's the guy's name?" asked Emma, sharply.

"How do you know it's a guy?" asked Ryan, raising one eyebrow.

"You said 'himself'. Quit playing around." ordered Emma.

Ryan was mentally kicking himself. His day was not going well.

"I can't give you his name. I've sworn to secrecy. And this might sound greedy, but the amount of cash I receive is some serious business."

Emma was getting really annoyed. She reached in her purse and took out her wallet. She got a few cash out and extended her hand to give them to Ryan, not saying a word while glaring at him in impatience. The man's face brightened as soon as he saw the cash, just like she thought he would.

"Now we're talking." he said, and was about to sntch the cash from her hand. Emma pulled back immediately.

"Information first. Then you get the cash." she said, sharply.

"I don't know, I honestly don't..."

"Are you trying to test my lying detector, or do you actually think you can fool it?" asked Emma. "I won't ask again..."

"He lives in Los Angeles." replied Ryan, interrupting her. He was trying his best to sound convincing. But the way he once again reached for her money told a different story.

"Wrong answer buddy." said Emma, stuffing the money back inside her wallet and rushing to get up from the couch. She was hoping that her bluff would appear more convincing than the guy's acting.

"Wait, Miss Swan!" called Ryan when Emma touched the doorknob. "I'll tell you what you need to know. Just... Let this be between us."

Emma smiled victoriously and turned back to face Ryan.

"I want location _and_ name. Either this or no deal." she said, in a tone which no one would dare defy.

* * *

 _ **Storybrooke**_

 _ **Present Time...**_

"Hey, Swan. Check this out." said Ris as soon as she sat on the booth next to Emma at Granny's.

"What is it?" asked Emma, and she dropped the apple that Regina had given her this morning without biting it. Ris handed her a newspaper. The Storybrooke newspaper. The title read 'Stranger Destroys Historic Sing: Alcohol Involved.' There was a picture attached to that article right under that title. It was from the time when Emma was in jail ten years ago. Not one of her best pictures. She really _did_ look drunk in that one.

"What's this, some kind of joke?" asked Emma, her eyebrows furrowing.

"Nope. Looks like the big bad mayor has made her first move in destroying us. It's official. I'm kicking her ass today and I want you as a witness." said Ris. Emma kept staring at the newspaper and grabbed her apple again. She squeezed the fruit with her fingernails in order to take her anger out on it and not anything or anyone else.

"I don't understand, what does she think that accomplishes? This picture is from ten years ago." she said and tried to bite her apple. Before she did, the waitress, Ruby, got her attention by leaving two hot cocoas in front of Emma and Ris.

"Here you go." said Ruby with a smile.

"Did you order for me as well?" asked Ris, looking at Emma.

"No, I didn't order these."

"Looks like you girls have an admirer." said Ruby, pointing behind their backs. Ris and Emma turned around to see sheriff Graham sitting on another table, staring off to space.

"You can tap that if you let me have your cocoa as well." said Ris, casually turning back to have a sip of her cocoa.

"I don't _want_ to tap that." said Emma, taking her own cocoa and standing up from her chair to talk to Graham. Ris laughed at her friend's attitude towards the sheriff's flirting.

"Seriously? Who doesn't want to tap that?" she commented, earning a chuckle from Ruby.

"I know right?" said the waitress, with a dreamy smile.

"Hey, snap out of it. You have custumers to feed." said Ris, snapping her finger's in front of Ruby's face.

"Ugh. You just sounded like Granny." said Ruby, and went to take an order.

Ris turned around to see how it was going with Emma and Graham. It didn't appear to be going so well. Ris could sense a tad of rejection as her friend spoke to the sheriff.

"I didn't order these." she heard Graham saying, after Emma turned down his treat of cocoa.

"How very un - gentleman like." commented Ris and got off her chair as well. "If you didn't order these, then who did?" she asked.

"I did." said a voice from another table. Henry's voice. "I like cinamon too." he added, and he approached Emma and Ris with a proud smile gracing his face.

"See? _That_ 's what I call a gentleman." said Ris to Graham, placing her hand on the smiling kid's shoulder.

"Don't you have school?" asked Emma.

"Duh. I'm ten. You and Ris should walk me there." said Henry as he readjusted his backpack on his shoulders.

"Yeah, you guys go while I'll be sitting over here with my friend Graham and discuss some pretty important stuff about newspapers." said Ris, actually taking over the seat across Graham.

"My school isn't that far. Please, come with us as well." pleaded Henry.

"You heard the kid. Get up." said Emma, tugging on Ris's jacket and dragging her off her seat.

"Fine. We'll continue with that talk later, sheriff." she said from behind her back as she, Emma and Henry walked through the dinner's door.

"So, kid. Shouldn't your mom be accompanying you to school?" asked Emma.

"Actually, it was supposed to be Archie, because she had to go to work early today. Don't worry. I told him there was a change of plans." replied Henry, reassuringly.

"Isn't Archie the shrink? How did he buy that?" asked Ris. "I guess it wouldn't be the first time that you've lied to him, Pinoccio."

what's the deal with you and your mom?

Read more at: . ?f=143&t=8877." said Ris as she Henry and Emma crossed the street.

"Yeah, what's the deal with you and her?" asked Emma.

"It's not about us. It's about her curse. We have to break it. Luckily I have a plan. Step one. Identification." explained Henry. "I call it Operation Cobra." he added, proudly.

"Cobra? That has nothing to do with fairytales." said Emma.

"I know. It's a code name. It'll throw the Queen off the trail. Ris gave me the idea two days ago."

"I guess I should be proud of myself." said Ris, smiling to herself. She was having more fun with Henry's little fairytale world than she thought she would.

"Speaking of, I've started doing my research on _your_ Enchanted Forest identity, Ris. And on how you got to the land without magic."

"The land without magic? Is that a fancy way of saying 'the earth'?" asked Ris.

"That's what it's called in my book."

"Shouldn't I need an Enchanted wardrobe as well?" asked Ris, playing along.

"No, Gepetto made the enchanted wardrobe for the first time for Snow White's daughter, which is Emma. You must've found some other way to get out. Although it must've been after Emma was sent here through the wardrobe. That could explain your age." analyzed Henry.

"I wouldn't be surprised if she actually was your age inside her brain. That would actually make perfect sense." commented Emma.

"Swan, I found my own way out of the fairytale world without needing a wardrobe. I'm already five steps ahead of you." joked Ris, making Emma roll her eyes.

"So, everyone here is fairytale character." summarized Emma. Henry nodded. "They just don't know it." she added, earning another nod from the kid.

"That's the curse. Time's been frozen. Until you got here."

"Well, the clock _did_ start working when we decided to stay." said Ris, telling Henry what he wanted to hear.

"It also _could_ be a coincidence." said Emma, and was about to finally have a bite of her apple.

"Hey!" said Henry. Emma jumped in surprise and looked at Henry. "Where did you get that?" he asked, panicked.

"Your mom..."

"Don't eat that!" said Henry and he grabbed Emma's apple and threw it behind them on the pavement.

"I knew it was poisoned." said Ris, not entirely joking though.

"Of course it is. The Evil Queen doesn't want the Savior to interfere with her curse." explained Henry.

"What about the people's pasts?" asked Emma.

"They don't know. It's a haze to them. Ask anyone anything and you'll see." replied Henry.

"So... for decades, people have been walking around, in a haze, not aging, and with screwed up memories." summed up Emma.

"I don't get it. I think that if time hadn't moved until we got here, at least someone would've noticed. Hasn't anyone questioned their immortality and never ending youth?" said Ris.

"It's the curse that has blinded them. It's keeping them oblivious. That's why we need Emma, the Savior to break it." replied Henry.

"Because I'm the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming." stated Emma.

"Yes! And right now, _we_ have the advantage. My mom doesn't know that." said Henry. He stopped walking for a while and he unzipped his backpack. He took out some book pages. "I took out the end, the part with you in it." he said and handed the pages to Emma. She and Ris looked at the pictures that were accompanying the stories. They were illustrations of a man holding a baby in his arms. The baby was wrapped with a well knitted blanket that read "Emma".

"Awe, look at your baby self. You look so adorable." joked Ris.

"See? Your mom _is_ Snow White!" said Henry, encouraged by Ris's acceptance.

"Kid..." started Emma, ready to put doubts in his head again.

"I know the hero never believes at first, if they did, it wouldn't be a very good story." explained Henry, and he resumed walking. "If you need proof, take them, read them. And as soon as I find you in the book, Ris, I'll get them to you as well. But whatever you do, don't let _her_ see those pages." said Henry. Ris and Emma knew that he was talking about Regina. "They're dangerous. If she finds out who you are... then it would be bad." he said.

"How come she hasn't seen them yet? I haven't once seen you without this book, she's bound to have at least noticed it." said Ris.

"It was a gift from my teacher. I kept it hidden for as long as I could, but after you mentioned it to my mom, she looked for it and found it." explained Henry.

Henry kept talking about his book and his big plan to break the curse until Ris and Emma got him to school.

"I have to go, but I'll find you later and we can get started." he said as the school's bell rang, and he ran to class. "I knew you'd believe me!" he said before he went too far.

"I never said I did!" said Emma.

"Why else would you be here?" asked Henry, as if the answer was obvious.

"Stay in school, champ. Stay in school." said Ris. Henry bid the two of them goodbye, and he then marched to class. Emma said nothing until Henry was out of her sight.

"What do you think of all this?" she asked, not taking her eyes off of where she left him.

"I think that you should've let me finish my cocoa. I'll go make Graham be a gentleman and buy me another one." replied Ris, and started walking away, not concerned about Henry's fairytale fantasy at all.

"You know what I'm talking about, Ris." said Emma. Ris stopped in her tracks and faced her again.

"Just play along, Swan. By far, all of these fairytale theories are the most entertaining thing I've heard in a year." she said with an excited smile. "Just let the kid's imagination ran wild. He's only ten after all." she added, and she left Emma alone where she was standing. Emma laughed at her friend's excitement, but she didn't follow her. She remained where she was until someone approached her and stood by her side. It was the teacher from yesterday. Her name was Mary Margaret, if she remembered correctly.

"It's good to see his smile back." she said.

"I didn't do anything." said Emma.

"You and your friend stayed. So... does the Mayor know you're still here?"

"Oh, she knows. What is her deal? She's not a great people person, how did she get elected?"

"She's been Mayor as long as I can remember. No one's ever been brave enough to run against her. She inspires quite a bit of.. well, fear. I'm afraid I only made that worse by giving Henry that book and now he thinks she's the Evil Queen."

"Who does he think _you_ are?"

Mary Margaret laughed awkwardly.

"It's silly." she said.

"I just got five minutes of silly. Lay it on me."

"Snow White." replied Mary Margaret, after a moment of hesitation. Emma didn't know what to say. She knew that Henry's fairytale crap was just nonsense. But she couldn't help but feel a little weird after her "mother's" statement.

"Who does he think you are?" asked Mary Margaret.

"I'm not in the book." Emma hurried to say. She didn't know why she couldn't tell Mary Margaret the truth. They would just laugh it off and move on. But she somehow couldn't find the will to say it.

"Your friend?" asked Mary Margaret.

"That's what he's trying to figure out." replied Emma, and she quickly tried to change the subject. "Can I ask you a favor?" she asked. Mary Margaret nodded. "Regina mentioned the kid's in therapy. Do you know where I can find the doctor?"

* * *

 **A/N: Thank you for reading! Until next time!:-D  
**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

"Here you go my lady." said Graham to Ris, handing her a donut after mocking a bow.

"A donut? Really?" she asked, raising her eyebrow as she accepted the sheriff's treat.

"Donuts are sort of a thing for cops." said Graham and he sat on a chair in the sheriff station.

"I know that. Couldn't you be any less cliche? And wasn't Granny's good enough for you? You just had to show off by taking me to the station?" said Ris and sat on a chair next to his.

"You could say that I enjoy the atmosphere of a sheriff's office. It's quite charming." he said, teasingly. "I had to come back to the station. I can't exactly slack off all day." he added after Ris gave him a look. "And anyway, you are the one who came, demanding me to be a gentleman."

"You are right, you _are_ a gentleman. Those cell bars across us do _definetely_ fit the mood." said Ris, glancing at the bars she was refering to. "I mean, can you imagine the charm of the place had there been two serial killers in those cells? I can now see what drew Regina to you." said Ris, casually taking a bite of her donut. Graham on the other hand almost choked on his. Ris rolled her eyes at his dramatics.

"Oh, come on. Don't tell me that you think you've been doing a good job at hiding the nasty?" she asked, after letting out a chuckle at his facial expression.

"It's really not what it looks like." said Graham, awkwardly.

"That you are getting laid? Please, it's not like you're the first person to have used their 'friends with benefits' status to get a job." said Ris.

"Again, it's not like that. I've had this job since... As long as I can remember." said Graham, probably trying to recall the time when he was hired. Ris smirked at his discofort. She was enjoying it way too much. She couldn't quite recall the last time when it was _her_ that had backed the authority into a corner and not the other way around.

"And how long have you been hooking up with Gina?" she asked, placing her feet on the table. Graham actually considered it for a while.

"As long as I can remember..." he muttered, realizing that this came out totally wrong. Ris's smirk grew wider at his answer.

"My point." she said.

"Listen, I know this looks and sounds bad, but... Would you mind keeping it to yourself? It's really not a big deal." he said.

"Well, I was sort of planning on going to the newspaper dude and make him change the current frontpage to something like... 'Shocking News! Sheriff Graham screwing the mayor of Storybrooke to keep his job!' or something like that." said Ris, emphasising every word. "Now you've totally ruined my plans."

Graham shushed her, looking around the room as if someone was watching them.

"Gina has placed security cameras and bugs to test your faithfulness, right?" whispered Ris. She then looked up to the ceiling, mocking a curious look on her face. "Hey, Gina. Is that you up there? Yeah, we are just chilling. His private parts are devoted to you, worry not." she said. Graham begun with glaring at her, but eventually a grin appeared on his face.

"It's a good thing I like you." he said and took a bite of his donut.

"What would you do if you didn't? Tell on me to the big bad mayor? Or charge me for disrespecting the authority?" said Ris.

"Do not give me ideas." said Graham.

Their converstation was interrupted by the office's phone ringing. Ris shot up from her chair and grabbed it first, just to get under Graham's skin.

"Sheriff's station, Ris speaking." she said with a casual tone, as if it was _her_ job. Before whoever was on the other line could answer, Graham snatched the phone from her hands.

"Sheriff Graham here, how can I help?" he said, sending Ris a few glares. Ris rolled her eyes and sat back down.

"Uh huh. Some files you say?" said Graham. "Do you have anyone in mind?"

Ris suddenly grew curious as to who was on the other line and she moved her chair closer to Graham's as she placed her ear on the other side of the phone device. She recognised the voice as Archie's, Henry's therapist.

"I'll be right there, Dr Hopper." said Graham and hung up.

"Why would anyone steal files from a therapist?" asked Ris.

"A desperate mother would." he said.

"Regina?" asked Ris.

"No." said Graham, and next thing Ris heard was the oh so familliar clink of the handcuffs. She looked down on her wrist and saw that Graham had cuffed her on the desk. He quickly stood up from his chair and crossed his arms, waiting for an explanation.

"Seriously? You think Emma stole files from Archie? Even if she did, what do _I_ have to do with this?" she said, pointing the handcuffs and trying to hide her anger.

"Well, considering that you and Miss Swan have been non stop trying to get under the mayor's skin since day one, I'd say it's quite possible that you planned this together. And you know what they say." he replied. Ris raised an eyebrow, expectingly. "Guilty until proven innocent." he added, and started walking away.

"Actually, it's the other way around and... Graham!" started Ris, but Graham was already out of the office. "Have fun being the mayor's lap dog! Dickhead!" she shouted, although no one would hear her.

* * *

 _ **Boston**_

 _ **Three Years ago...**_

Clarissa shot up from her couch and extinguished the flames from her cigarette when she heard the knock on her door. She knew it would be Swan. It wasn't like anyone else would pay her a visit. She opened the door, and it was indeed her. Clarissa didn't expect her to be that fast. She thought that these things took time, and she hadn't been much help with the information she had given about the mysterious anonymous stranger.

Swan tried force a smile when Clarissa greeted her, but there was a guilty look on her face. Clarissa stepped aside to let her in. Swan got inside, and Clarissa felt the akwardness entering the room along with her almost immediately.

"You can start talking when I open the window to get the tension out of my brand new appartment." she joked, and she indeed opened her window. "What's wrong?" she asked with her arms crossed.

"You might wanna sit for this." said Swan, pointing at the randomly placed couch. Clarissa had been way too lazy to do some proper decoration, so the entire appartment had been a mess ever since she moved in.

"Oh no." muttered Ris as she sat on her couch. "Spill it out."

"I went to the post office yesterday." started Swan, taking a seat on an armchair across the couch.

"And?"

"And I found the adress of a guy named Ryan Parker." continued Swan.

"Why the long pauses? Just say what needs to be said and get it over with." said Clarissa, getting impatient.

"Okay, so I went to his appartment. And he..." said Swan, but she stopped, hesitating to continue. Clarissa could smell the bad news coming.

"What did I just say about long pauses?" she said.

"He wasn't there." said Swan, hurriedly. Way too hurriedly for Clarissa to believe.

"What do you mean he wasn't there?" she asked, showing her disbelief with no hesitation.

"He just wasn't." replied Swan, appearing more truthful this time. "I asked around the building and I found out that Ryan Parker has moved to an uknown destination."

"He sent the gift a few days ago, how would he know that we were onto him? It's not like I filed a police report to find him, I asked _you_ to do it. And you did it for free."

"He moved two days ago."

"He still wouldn't have known."

"Have you considered that maybe that's what he does? Getting to Boston at the time around your birthday and then leave?"

"Why would anyone do that?"

"Beats me. But that appears to be the most logical explanation. When I asked around, no one knew of Ryan Parker. The only one that knew him was an old man, who said that he spends his entire day sewing on a couch at the hallway." replied Swan. After that statement, Clarissa was almost convinced. She wished that she had the superpower that Swan had told her about before. It would make things much easier for her.

"Give me his address." she said, suddenly.

"Excuse me?" said Swan. She appeared to be taken aback by her request.

"I'll go by his place and turn it upside down to find information. So give me his address." she said.

"I can't." said Swan, quickly.

"Why?"

"For one, it's illegal." she replied. Clarissa rolled her eyes.

"Are you fucking kidding me, Swan? You are hepling me for free, there shouldn't be a problem, no one knows about it but you and me."

"There shouldn't be a problem according to your own standards. Besides, what do you think you would find in his appartment? A phone number? The man barely ever goes there."

Clarissa groaned in frustration, and placed her forehead on her palms, supporting her elbows on her knees. Disappointment and frustration were written all over her features. She remained like this for a few minuites. Those minuites were too quiet, and for a moment Clarissa thought that Swan had left.

"It's okay." she finally said, pulling herself together. "You did what you could. Even though it had zero result." she said. She didn't mean to insult Swan, but the blonde did appear offended. "Ugh, I'm sorry, I just really wanted to find out who that creeper is and now I'm pissed!" said Clarissa and walked over to her kitchen. She opened one of her cabinets and took out a bottle of what looked like whiskey. Swam walked over to her, looking more guilty than ever.

"Look, Claire, I'm sorry I couldn't help you, but whiskey? It's two in the afternoon."

"It's midnight somewhere on the earth." replied Clarissa before pouring her drink in her glass. "And what did you just call me?" she asked, ignoring Emma's advise.

"Claire. Isn't it a short for Clarissa?" asked Emma.

"I guess, but I don't really like it. Why don't I cut it to something like... Ris? Yeah, that sounds catchy." she said, and she got another glass out of the cabinet. She poured some of that drink in the glass, and offered it to Swan. She realized that she had done what she could, and she shouldn't be greedy about it. She should be grateful that someone cared enough to help her. Even if it was a stranger she just met.

"Want some?" she asked.

* * *

Emma could've declined. But she needed it. She had just lied to the first person she had talked to in her new appartment building. And for what purpose? She only did it for herself. The girl had trusted her to help and she let her down for her own selfish reasons. Of course, she could still tell her the truth. That she _did_ find out who was sending her presents and why, as she originally intended to. But she was starting to like Clarissa, or Ris, and she could easily see a friendship forming between them in the future. And she was afraid that if she told Ris the truth, she would have to move again. And she really didn't want to miss the chance of having an actual friend after ten years. Ris would never learn the truth. She would personally make sure that would never happen. The mysterious stranger would remain a mysterious stranger forever.

* * *

 _ **Storybrooke**_

 _ **Present Time...**_

Ris felt like she had been cuffed at the office's desk for hours. She would kill that jerk Graham... Who did he think he was? She really doupted that Emma had stolen anything from Archie, he was lying for sure. The situation had Regina's signature all over it. If only she could get her hands on the mayor's throat...

"Stand over there please." said Graham's voice as he entered the room with Emma.

"Ah, there you are Mister _"I cuff people for fun"_. Uncuff me right away!" said Ris.

"Sorry, can't do. You and Emma are guilty until proven innocent." he said.

"You know that's supposed to be the other way around right?" asked Emma.

"That's what I said." said Ris.

"Could you please put on a smile?" joked Graham when Emma was ready for the pictures.

"Not funny. What does Ris even have to do with this? Wasn't she with you?"

Graham didn't answer. It almost looked like someone was forcing him to do this.

"You know the shrink is lying, right?" asked Emma when Graham ignored her.

"To your right please." he said when he took the first picture. "Why would he lie?"

"Is that a serious question?" asked Ris, and she sat on the desk with her legs crossed, to annoy Graham.

"The mayor put him up to this. She must have something on him."

"Yeah, everyone is deadly scared of her in this town. I mean, look at the fear she inspires on you." said Ris, almost about to spill the beans about Graham's sex life in front of Emma. Graham glared at her, signaling her to stop talking.

"To the left." he said, without answering to Ris's comment.

"Regina may be a touch intimidating, but I don't think she'd go as far as a frame job."

"How far would she go? What does she have her hands in?" asked Emma.

"Well, she's the Mayor. She has her hands in everything." said Graham.

"Including the police force?" asked Emma.

"Trust me, you don't want to know where she has her hands or any other body part in." said Ris, again dropping hints about Regina and Graham's... intimate relationship. Graham glared again and was about to say something to shut her up. But he was interrupted by Henry, surprisingly. The kid ran into the office with, again surprisingly, Mary Margaret right behind him.

"Hey!" said Henry with exitment written all over his face.

"Henry! Henry, what are you doing here?" asked Graham.

"His mother told him what happened." said Mary Margaret.

"Of course she did..." said Ris.

"Kid, I don't know what she said..." started Emma.

"You and Ris are geniuses!" he said happily.

"Tell it to this guy." said Ris pointing at Graham.

"Why are you cuffed on the desk?" asked Henry.

"Again, ask him."

"Anyway, I know what you were up to. You were gathering intel for Operation Cobra." said Henry.

"I'm sorry, I'm a bit lost." said Graham.

"Nothing new here, sheriff." commented Ris.

"It's need to know, Sheriff. And all you need to know is that Miss Blanchard's going to bail them out." said Henry. He always seemed to get his teacher mixed up in whatever he was doing. Ris wondered if it was because of the fairytale thing.

"You are? Why?" asked Emma.

"Swan, the woman is bailing us out. Nothing more you need to know."

"I... Uh... Trust you." said Mary Margaret akwardly. _She must really like Henry._ Ris thought.

"Well, if you can uncuff us, I have something to do." said Emma.

When they were uncuffed, Emma grabbed Ris's arm and practically dragged her into the yellow bug.

"What do you have in mind Swan?" asked Ris. Emma smirked at her friend's question.

"You'll see."

* * *

"That's why you are making me proud!" said Ris, loudly, as Emma cut down Regina's apple tree with a chainsaw.

"Gimme that." said Ris and grabbed the chainsaw from Emma's hands and cut another brunch.

"You know, I always thought gardening was boring." joked Emma.

"You have no idea how wrong you were." said Ris.

"What the hell are you doing!?" shouted Regina, trying to run towards their direction in her high heels.

"Picking apples." said Emma casually.

"Yeah, the ones you gave us were a little rotten, kinda like that thing in the middle of your chest." said Ris, in the same tone as Emma.

"You are out of your mind." said Regina.

"No, you are if you think a shoddy frame job's enough to scare me off. You're going to have to do better than that. You come after me one more time, I'm coming back for the rest of this tree. Because, sister, you have no idea what _I_ am capable of." said Emma in a tone that made Ris proud that they were friends.

"Your move." said Emma and started to walk away. Ris turned around and walked backwards, just to see Regina's expression. It was priceless.

"Personally, I can't wait to see the next thing you'll come up with." she said and walked next to her friend.

"So, where to now?"

"Granny's. How about I buy us cocoa?" said Emma.

"Why not? Since Graham did a crap job in being a gentleman..." said Ris.

 **A/N: I dropped some hints about who the mystery dude is, I don't know if anyone can guess it, but I didn't want to just spill it out. Yeah, I'm mean like that.;-) This one was short, but the next one will be a longer one to make up for it.:-) And yes, I did say that I would start after four reviews, but I wanted to write this! Thank you for the favorites/follows and thank you XxLostDreamerxX, Lolo314 and Blacklab369 for reviewing!:-) Four reviews to get started on the next one! I really need the motivation! Thank you for reading!:-)**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Just a little tip for the chapter. We finally get an Enchanted Forest flashback and it's set a while after Belle is taken to the Dark Castle but before Robin goes there to steal the wand to heal Marian. And something about the last chapter, when Emma said that she was afraid she would have to move if she revealed who the gifter is, she was talking about herself, not Ris. I reread the chapter and realized it was kind of unclear. I really hope that helped. :-) Enjoy!:-)**

 **Chapter 7**

"Can I ask you something?" asked Emma as her and Ris made their way to their room at Granny's.

"Go ahead." said Ris.

"What were those comments you made at the sheriff's station? Was it just you trying to get under Graham's skin or..." she asked.

"Nothing to be concerned about Swan. But Graham's gonna hear it from me next time I see him. Can you belive he cuffed me on the desk? What a dick."

"Miss Swan, Miss Silver?" called a voice. They turned around to see the woman who owned the inn, or Granny, as most people called her.

"What?" asked Ris, somewhat annoyed.

"Oh my, this is terribly akward." the woman muttered.

"Spill it out, lady." said Ris,

"Uh, I need to ask you to leave. I'm afraid we have a "no felons" rule. It… It turns out it's a city ordinance." said Granny.

"Let me guess, the Mayor's office just called to remind you." said Emma.

"That bitch has her hands everywhere..." muttered Ris. "The dickhead was right."

"You can gather your things, but I need to have your room key back." said Granny.

Words couldn't describe Ris's frustration when Emma handed over the key. Regina had to be the most annoying person in the world. And she knew her for three days. This was unbelivable...

"Well, what are you waiting for?" asked Emma as she begun gathering her own stuff.

"Did we just get kicked out?" asked Ris, still processing what Granny just told them.

"Yup. Now hurry and gather your stuff. If we're gonna make a home of my bug, we need to hurry."

"We're really going to be staying in your bug from now on?" asked Ris.

"Yeah, we need to talk about that. I have a reason to stay here in Storybrooke. And that's Henry. You came here thinking that we'd leave immediately..."

"No."

"You didn't even listen to what I was gonna say."

"I'm sure it would be something stupid, like "Ris, you should get back to campus and continue your studies", or "I don't want to drag you in my life, you need to go back." And that's a big no, Swan. Remember, the mayor threatened the both of us. I got framed along with you, even if _you_ were her target. I think that what goes on in this town, _is_ my business."

"Yeah, but I don't want to burden you with my problems. I mean, you now have to live in a car..."

"I don't care. And I will find the solution to that problem." said Ris and grabbed her purse.

"Where are you going?" asked Emma.

"Are you deaf? To find the solution to our problem."

"This will not end well..." said Emma when Ris was out of the room.

* * *

Henry was walking down the street to his mother's office to take dinner with her, as they did every Thursday. He really didn't want to, but he had to throw the Queen off the trail, he couldn't take any chances. On his way there, he spotted a familiar face. It was Ris. Over the past three days he had came to like his mom's friend. She was fun and she could probably help with Operation Cobra.

"Hey, Ris!" he said and ran towards her direction.

"Henry. Sorry, can't talk now, I need to kick your mom's ass." she said and she walked past him. Henry followed behind her, not giving a care about her swearing.

"What did Emma do?" he asked.

"Not her. I'm talking about Gina."

"What happened?" he asked, still running beside her. She had a fast and determined step even if she was walking and he could barely keep up.

"She's being a bitch and... Why are we running? When did we sign up for the marathon?" she said, trying to change the subject and stopped running.

"What did she do?" asked Henry.

"She practically kicked us out of Granny's. But don't worry. Emma and I will figure it out."

"Regina must know that Emma's the Savior and she's trying to get rid of her." said Henry.

"I don't think that's the case, champion. Your mom just hates competition."

"Competition over what?"

"Why you, of course. I mean, who wouldn't fight over you, you are a prince." joked Ris and messed his hair playfully. "Technically, you really _are_ a prince. Since Snow White and Prince Charming are your grandparents..." she continued.

"Hey, don't mock. And I think I found something about you in my book."

"When did you even get the time for that?"

"Somewhere between my school breaks and after Mary Margaret bailed you and Emma out." he said and took out his book.

"You really have to show me from the book?" she asked, annoyed.

"Of course I have to. So you can read it." said Henry. He took out one page from his book and handed it to her.

"Henry, I really do not have time for this..."

"Please, I need to know if you remember anything from your past life..."

"My life has always been in Boston. I even remember my eighth birthday. How old is the girl in the story?"

"Seventeen, I think." said Henry, not disappointed at all.

"I was at the orphanage at that age."

"There must be an explanation for that. Please, just read it and you'll see I'm telling the truth."

Ris sighed in annoyance, but thankfully she took the page. She folded it and put it in her pocket.

"I'll read it when I have the time."

"I knew you'd give me a chance." said Henry, with a really happy smile.

"Yeah, whatever champion. Now go to your mom. I have somewhere to go to."

* * *

 _ **The Enchanted Forest**_

 _ **A Long Time Ago...**_

She didn't know what to do. She had never seen anything like this in her entire life. Of course, she had heard stories as a kid, but she never thought she would ever come face to face with an... Ogre.

After she was transported to this random location, she had walked for what felt like days, when it was only hours. She wasn't familiar with these woods or the creatures she might face there. All she knew was that she would have to find a castle. But there were millions of castles in that realm and many kings and queens. Yeah, asking for more information would've been a good idea. But she wanted to leave so badly, that she didn't stop for one second to form a plan, or think of anything. She just acted instinctively.

And there she was. Walking in the mysterious forest, almost like she had a death wish.

The ogre was staring at her with those huge scary eyes, as if trying to decide which way he would eat her. Would it boil her in hot water, or cut her in tiny pieces? Both options sounded equally painful... Couldn't it just kill her and get it over with? She was already scared to death, there was no need for dramatics. So she just stood there, looking at the monster, feeling ready to die. Only that she wasn't.

The ogre made the first move by trying to grab her. Its hand didn't even get close enough to her before she took off running. She was always good at running. She didn't trip, not even once. Instead, she ran as fast as the wind and she would go as fast as light if that would be possible. After a few minuites of running, she thought she was far enough from the ogre. She thought the monster had lost her, so she slowed down. Mistake number one. She was too relieved from the possibility of living to see another day, that she didn't even notice what was in front of her. The ogre had teared an entire tree from its roots and let it fall on the ground. She didn't know whether she should stop running or run even faster to avoid having her bones crashed by that tree. She just kept running and before it could crash on her, she jumped to the side, and the tree barely touched a hair from her head.

Before she could silently celebrate her victory, the ogre came back and picked the tree back up, to see if her dead and crashed body would be under there. It saw that it wasn't, and needless to say that the monster was mad. It threw the tree away with such force, that it kept flying away even until it was out of eyesight. She remained still where she was. Maybe the monster would grow tired and leave her alone. But she would never be _that_ lucky. The ogre saw her, and this time, it looked pretty damn determined. She just shut her eyes closed, realizing that it was too late, and covered her face with her hands, waiting for the inevitable. Only that it didn't come. She only opened her eyes when she heard the ogre growl in desperation. She looked up and the scene before her made her want to throw up. There was a thin stick inside the monster's eye, it looked like an arrow. There was blood coming out of it, it looked like a red river. She didn't move or do anything, she could only stare at the image that would give her nightmares for at least five lifetimes.

"What the hell are you waiting for!? RUN!" she heard a male voice shout. She didn't even aknowledge it. She somehow couldn't find the courage to run or make any fast moves that would catch the ogre's attention.

"Bloody hell..." said the male voice, and after that she heard footsteps coming towards her.

She still didn't move. It was as if she was waiting for the ogre to make its move and grab her. It wasn't long until the ogre started reaching for her on the ground, since it was blind from the one eye. She tried to avoid it for as long as she could when she finally decided to move. But she grew tired. So she tripped. The monster's hands reached for her, and they were getting closer... She once again prepared for death, only for it not to come again.

She felt two strong arms around her waist and being pulled up on a horse. She still hadn't opened her eyes. When the ogre's screams could no longer be heard, she did open them. She was faced with a man's back, as he rode the horse they were on.

"Thank you..." she tried to say, but the man shushed her.

"If you don't want the ogre to come after you again, stop talking." he said with an accent she had just noticed.

They had been on that horse for hours until they stopped. They were in the woods again, but definetely far from any ogre. The man was obviously from there, he knew where they would be safe from those monsters. He got down first and extended his hand to help her off the horse. When she got her feet on the ground, she was about to thank the man before he snapped at her.

"Are you out of your mind?" he asked. "Did you know what could've happened to you if I hadn't interfered?"

"I'm not stupid. Judging by that thing's size and looks, I say it's definetely not a vegeterian." she said.

"Are you actually joking about this?" asked the man, not beliving what he was hearing.

"No, I'm actually stating facts. If it was a vegeterian, then what would be the whole point of saving me? You'd just be a show off who just wanted to..." she started, seriously.

"You're insane." he stated.

"You are the one talking to an insane person. Nice meeting you... Or not... Cool tatoo by the way." she said and turned to leave.

"Wait, wait. I'm sorry." the man said. She turned around and looked at him with a smile.

"You're apologising to an insane person?" she asked.

"How old are you girl, and what's your name?" he asked.

"I'm seventeen... Sort of... And the name's Clarissa."

"Listen, Clarissa, I apologise for snapping at you. But you look like you need some rest. I want to help you and I'm sure my wife would be more than happy to offer you shelter." he said.

"Uh... I kinda have to get going so..." she said.

"You can't. You have scratches all over your face and your clothes are teared. Just let me help." he said.

Clarissa considered this for a while.

"Alright. But I'll leave as soon as possible." she said.

"No problem. My name's Robin. Robin Hood." he introduced himself.

* * *

 _ **Storybrooke**_

 _ **Present Time...**_

Mr Gold was just enjoying his evening in his pawn shop. Rarely did anyone pay him visits, a fact that he was glad for. With his memories back, he could begin forming his plans for after the curse being broken. But before he could get on with that, he wanted to do some research. The blonde woman, Emma the Savior, had brought a companion with her, that weird girl named Clarissa. The moment he saw her staring at the puppets, he knew he had seen her before. She was surely from the Enchanted Forest, but how was it possible that she wasn't taken by Regina's curse? He couldn't even remember if she was his ally or enemy. And she didn't seem to be older than tewnty two or twenty three years old.

His thoughts were interrupted by the girl who was entertaining them. _Speak of the devil..._ Thought Gold. Clarissa Silver walked into his shop and came straight in front of his desk.

"Miss Silver. Is there something you need?" he asked.

"You are sort of a big deal in this town, right?" she asked, surprisingly not showing the fear that he inspired to the entire town.

"If by big deal you mean that I hold enough power to do anything I please, then yes. I do." he said.

"Honestly, you could've just said big deal. It's shorter and you could've answered with a yes or a nope." she said.

"In this case, you are the one wasting time, Miss Silver. _My_ time in particular." he said.

"You're certainly a ray of sunshine. Anyways, I assume you read newspapers." she said.

"I don't really bother. Sidney Glass is not what someone would call a... Reliable source." he said, although he knew exactly what the girl was talking about. Regina's frame job wasn't even that convincing. She would never avoid the prophecy, no matter how hard she tried.

"Oh. Alright that's fine, anyways, me and my friend Emma, you know the blonde with the yellow bug, sort of got banished from the inn we were staying at. If you could get us back there, since you can practically do whatever the hell you want here, I _could_ give you a little something in return." she said and started looking through her purse, as if she was checking whether her money was still there.

The girl was bluffing, it was obvious to Gold. She had nothing in her purse, that much was clear. By all means, there was nothing wrong with her performance. But her way of telling her lies sounded a lot like his. It was easy for him to recognise his way of lying.

"I thought you were broke?" he said.

"Things changed. Well, for my friend, Emma. It's actually _her_ money."

"Really? Can I see please?" he asked.

"Not before I see the results. So, do we have a deal?" she asked. She could really win an award for that performance.

"You see dearie, as you well know, everything comes with a price. That also applies for lying to me. There is nothing in your purse, what were you even hoping to accomplish?"

The girl was disappointed, but still didn't show any fear for the concequences of her lies.

"Well, it was worth the shot." she said and turned around to leave. "See ya."

"We're not quite done, Miss Silver." said Gold. The girl turned back to Gold, cautiously with a busted look on her face.

"What is it?" she asked, with some fear finally showing on her face.

"As I said, lying to me comes with a price. And you are going to pay it, one way or another." he said.

"As you said, I'm broke. I have nothing for you."

"That's not quite true. I'm feeling generous today for some reason, so I'm offering you a new deal. As you know, I'm quite a busy person, with the town owning and handling the power I have over it."

"Okay, what is it with you Storybrooke people showing off all the time?" commented Clarissa.

"Work at the pawn shop for one week, and if I see good results from your work, I'll make sure you'll get back to Granny's with your friend." he said, ignoring the comment.

"What's the catch?" asked Clarissa.

"No catch. Why would you think that there would be one?" asked Gold.

"Do I look stupid? I practically tried to rob you. And you are helping me anyways?"

"As I said, I'm feeling generous. Now, do we have a deal, or you're just wasting my time?" he asked.

* * *

Emma was furius. No, furius could not describe what she was feeling. She was feeling like she could stab someone. Regina had overdone it this time. A shody frame job was one thing, but this? Turning her own son against her? Now Henry wouldn't want to talk to her ever again.

"Swan!" she heard Ris's voice calling her from the other side of the street.

"Where have you been?" asked Emma.

"I think I found a solution to our problem. But that's only if you can wait for a week." she said, walking across the street towards her.

"I don't think I can get _one_ day in this town."

"What happened?"

"Regina happened."

"Again? This is getting old..."

"She called me to her office and we talked about Henry."

"What did she say?"  
"She lied about wanting to apologise. I said that I thought Henry was troubled because of, you know, the fairytale crap. And Henry was there listening the entire time. She knew he would be there, it was a set up!"

"You said that you thought Henry's troubled?" asked Ris, not beliving what she just heard.

"Yeah. Can you belive what she did?"

"What _she_ did? You were the one who practically told her that her son is crazy." said Ris, not in a scolding tone in her voice, but it was definetely accusing.

"No, I didn't mean it that way, but this book... Those fairytales he keeps talking about... That _is_ crazy."

"Swan, he is ten. He is a loner with a miserable life. He is just trying to add some spark in his life. His fairytales are his way of explaining all the bad shit that happen. That's not craziness. It's creativity. I told you that you should just play along. I'd love to see you trying to fix what you did."

Emma considered this. Ris was right. The kid was living with a bitchy mother and had no friends. It was only normal for him to start making up stories with his imagination. His fairytale fantasy wasn't craziness. I really _was_ creativity. She needed to fix that.

"How do I fix that?" asked Emma.

"It's not about how _you_ fix that Swan. It's really only about how _I_ help you fix that. What would you even do without me?"

* * *

"Are you sure you don't want to talk about it?" asked Archie Hopper, directing his question to Henry.

The kid was sitting on the other couch with a sad look on his face. His mother didn't belive him, she never did. Ris didn't belive either, he was sure of it. He felt like he was alone all over again.

"You know, that umbrella kind of is my good luck charm. Is that why you think I'm Jiminy Cricket?" asked Archie, trying to get Henry's attention.

"I don't think you're anyone." said Henry. He wasn't in the mood to talk about the curse. Of course he knew that Archie was Jimini. But what was the point if he didn't belive him? Like Emma didn't...

Suddenly, the door snapped open, and inside the room walked the one who made him sad in the first place. Ris was right behind her and she shut the door when they entered. Archie quickly got off his seat on the couch.

"Miss Swan, Miss Silver. Look, I can explain. The Mayor forced me to.." he started.

"I know. Don't worry about it. I get it." said Emma, not wanting to waste any more time.

"Well, I'm not really in the forgiving mood, but you are lucky I'm not here to talk about _that_." said Ris and walked over to Henry right behind Emma.

"Henry, I'm so sorry." said Emma.

"I don't want to talk to you." said Henry.

"Quit being a brat and listen what she has to say." said Ris.

"Miss Swan, if she knew you were here..." started Archie, again.

"This is all the fucks we give about the big bad mayor.' said Ris.

"Henry, there is one simple reason I stayed here. You. I wanted to get to know you." said Emma.

"You think I'm crazy." said Henry.

"No, I think the curse is crazy. And it is." said Emma.

"Trust me, we've met crazy people and you're definetely not one of them." said Ris.

"It is a lot to ask anyone to believe in, but there are a lot of crazy things in this world. So what do I know. Maybe it _is_ true." said Emma.

"But you told my mom..."

"What she needed to hear." said Emma.

"Come on Henry, you were the one that said that we need to throw the Evil Queen off the trail." said Ris.

"But when I gave you the page today, you didn't belive me." said Henry.

"You are right. Because all I can remember from my life, starts from the age of eight. Everything else is a haze. Just like _you_ said in the morning." said Ris.

"And when she told me that, I knew I had to consider that at least something of what you say is true. And you're right. I actually found logic in what you said. But if the curse is real, the only way to break it is by tricking the Evil Queen into thinking that we are non-believers. Cause that way, she's not on to us. Isn't that what Operation Cobra was all about? Throwing her off the trail?" said Emma.

"Brilliant!" said Henry, happy that Emma and Ris explained him the situation. Finally, they really belived him.

"Ris and I read the pages you gave us. And you are right, mine are dangerous. There is only one way to make sure that she never sees them." said Emma. She got up and she threw the pages in the fireplace.

"Now we have the advantage."she said.

"Like bosses." commented Ris.

Henry got up and hugged Emma tightly. She belived him. His mother finally belived. She would never know how much this meant to him.

"I knew you were here to help me." he said.

"That's right, kid. I am. And nothing, not even a curse, is going to stop that." said Emma.

"Now I'm feeling left out" joked Ris, while Henry, Emma and even Archie laughed.

 **A/N: Done with the second episode! Yay!:-) OMG! The response I got in my last chapter was crazy! I have no words to thank everyone who favorited/followed! Thank you RequestForAngels, Blacklab369, Book of Hope, TheChampionOfLight, Kira Tsumi, Lolo314, XxLostDreamerxX and the three guests for reviewing and Twilightroxas7 for Pm-ing!:-) That's what I call motivation to keep my story going! I saw some guesses about our mysterious stranger (I don't accept or deny anything), the subject** _ **will**_ **be adressed again in the first season for a few more hints, but now we'll stick to some Enchanted Forest stuff. So, what do you think about Ris working for Gold? Or the first Enchanted Forest flashback! Can't wait to know your opinion! Thank you for reading!:-)**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Tip: the crossbow that I'm talking about in this chapter is not the one that never misses. It's a regular one. I hope you enjoy!  
**

 **UPDATE: 18/5/2016: I changed some parts of the dialogue and put two chapters into one, and that's why there are two parts of the flashback.**

 **Chapter 8  
**

"Another go please." said Ris, with her drunken voice and alcohol coming out of her breath as she spoke.

"Not that I'm not all for getting drunk on a Friday night, but that was your tenth shot." said Ruby, who was amused by the newcomer's drinking habits. She had came the other night as well and stayed until closing time. Granny shouldn't have kicked her and her blonde friend out. They were now living in a car. Ruby could understand why she wanted to spend as much time as she could away from the car.

"I know, I know. But I can handle it! See?" she said, trying to fake a serious expression... And failing.

"I'm not filling you an eleventh glass. Forget it." said Ruby.

"Hey, hey. Look. No, listen. Hey, why do people say look when they want to explain something? Technically, they only listen, unless they want to perform what they want to say, so they would have to say look. How would that work if I wanted to tell you that someone jumped of a cliff? Would I have to jump of a cliff?" said Ris, laughing drunkenly.

Ruby rolled her eyes at the nonsense she was hearing. But at least she had something to amuse her. The only other custumer was Mary Margeret with Dr Whale. Thankfully, even though Ris was drunk, she was smart enough to speak quietly. She didn't want to ruin the atmospere for Mary Margaret's date.

"Hey, listen. Why don't you take that..." said Ruby and handed Ris a room key. "And rest. The mayor will never know, don't worry." said Ruby, wanting to be of some help to the new girl.

"Speaking of that bitch..." started Ris and dropped the key.

"Here we go..." said Ruby, having heard the rant about the mayor about three times.

"What the fucking hell is wrong with her? She doesn't even know how to make her son happy, I mean she could at least spoil him and give him an illusion of happiness but she can't even do _that_. Henry deserves so much better."

"Like Emma?"

"And me! I could play the role of the fun aunt!" said Ris and put on a dreamy smile. "Imagine Henry, coming inside my house, calling me aunty Ris. Wait... That makes me sound old. Do you happen to have a better suggestion?"

"I suggest that you go and rest."

"Nah, I don't like this one... Oh, and let's not forget the part where Mr Gold is being a total asshole. He wants me to work for him in order to get me and Emma back here, I mean, can you belive him?"

"Mr Gold actually offered you that kind of deal?" asked Ruby, feeling surprised that Gold would even bother listening to someone like Ris.

"Yeah. He is a jerk."

"You should consider yourself lucky. Normally, Mr Gold would have just shut the door on your face." said Ruby and walked over to clean a table that had just emptied.

"Hey, Dr Whale!" yelled Ris. For God's shake, couldn't she take a break?

"Ignore her. She's not feeling very well." she said.

"Dr Whale, I'm talking to you!" yelled Ris again. Dr Whale ignored her.

"Fine, ignore me. But you should know that when you're on a date, you should focus on the person sitting across you, not on the waitress's ass." she said. Ruby immediately stopped what she was doing and glared at Dr Whale. He on the other hand looked like he wanted to hide his head in a hole. "You are welcome." said Ris, as if she did them a favor.

"Ruby, the check please" said Mary Margaret, akwardly.

"Sure." said Ruby, still glaring at Dr Whale. "Can you do me a favor?" she asked Mary Margaret.

"Uh, sure." said Mary Margaret.

"Take her home." said Ruby, pointing at the drunk Ris.

"I thought she lived at the inn?"

"You've missed so much. She lives along with Emma in the yellow bug. Now, could you please get her there before she causes any more trouble?"

"Sure." said Mary Margaret.

* * *

"Here we are." said Mary Margaret, as if she was talking to a child, when she and Ris got to the yellow bug.

"Noooo. Do not take me there! Swan is going to scold me again and I have a headache!" whined Ris.

"You should've listened to Ruby when she told you to stop at your fifth shot."

"I don't like you."

The two women walked to the window of Emma's bug. Mary Margaret knocked on it to let Emma know that Ris was back. Emma lowered the window so she could speak.

"I have a delivery for you." said Mary Margaret. Emma threw her head back and groaned in anger.

"Seriously? Didn't I scold you enough yesterday?" she said.

"Why are you shouting? Can you just... Just turn the volume down a little..." she said and passed out. Emma got out of her car and helped Mary Margaret get Ris in the backseat.

"I'm really sorry about her. I swear, sometimes I feel like I'm her mom..." said Emma.

"It's no problem, really. She actually saved me a lot of trouble, so I should be thanking her." said Mary Margaret.

"What trouble?"

"I was on a date and... Let's just say that it didn't work out. Thanks to Ris, I realized that early."

"Ouch. I hope she wasn't harsh."

"A little, but it was _his_ fault not hers."

"Tell me that he at least payed."

Mary Margaret shook her head.

"Well, guess if true love was easy, we'd all have it. You know, if things get cramped, I do have a spare room. One of you can take the couch and you shall be fine."

"Thanks. I'm not really the roommate type. I can barely tolerate her." she said, pointing at Ris, who was sleeping inside her car. "It's just not my thing. I do better on my own."

"Well, goodnight. And good luck with Henry." said Mary Margaret and left.

"Yeah..." muttered Emma, really wanting that good luck...

* * *

 _ **The Enchanted Forest**_

 _ **A Long Time Ago...**_

Robin walked Clarissa inside his small home, which he shared with his wife, Marian. The girl looked around, taking in every inch of the little home. She hadn't seen the inside of a house since... A long time ago.

"My love?" called Robin. A woman with dark brown hair and a kind smile came from another room.

"Robin, I have wonderful news!" she said, but stopped when she noticed Clarissa.

"Who's that?" she asked.

"That, my dear, is Clarissa. I found her in the woods, she was being attacked by an ogre." repled Robin.

"Oh my God, poor girl. Are you alright?" asked Marian with concern in her voice.

"Do I look alright?" asked Clarissa, rhetorically.

"She has an attitude as well. Do you think she could stay for a few days?" said Robin.

"Absoloutely. Come with me dear, I'll get you some clean clothes." said Marian and led Clarissa to a small room, where she kept her clothes,

"Alright, wait here. I'll get you a clean dress. Are you from the Enchanted Forest?" asked Marian.

"No... Well yeah, but I haven't been here in a while."

"How old were you when you left?"

"I was eight. That's why I barely remember this place..."

"Where have you been all those years?"

"Somewhere horrible..."

She was interrupted by Marian, who suddenly ran to another room. Clarissa was concerned, so she followed her. She got to the other room and she found Marian leaning over a small container, the one that they kept their water. She was throwing up...

"I don't know about you, but I would never EVER put water in that thing again." said Clarissa.

"I... I'm terribly sorry for interrupting you. It's just that..." started Marian.

"You're pregnant?" said Clarissa, as if it was obvious. Marian quickly put her hand on her mouth and motioned her to be quiet.

"I assume your husband doesn't know about this." said Clarissa, slapping Marian's hand away.

"He doen't... Can you keep a secret?" asked Marian.

"Don't worry, I won't tell him. But you _are_ planning to eventually, right?"

"Of course. At the right moment. But for now, could we please keep this between us? Yeah, don't worry. I wouldn't wanna ruin the oh so lovely surprise..."

* * *

 _ **Storybrooke**_

 _ **Present Time...**_

"I wouldn't wanna ruin the oh so lovely surprise..."

Ris's mumbling was enough to wake Emma up. It was about five pm. She barely got enough sleep. She was looking all over the newspaper for a job but she got nothing. She couldn't belive that Ris got a job before her. She should've thought of going to Mr Gold before her.

Emma hit Ris's arm lightly from the front seat to wake her up.

"Hey, lazy drunken couch potato. Wake up." she muttered sleepily. Ris shot up immediately, gasping in surprise. However she moaned in pain, grabbed her head and lied back down immediately.

"That didn't feel good..." she said.

"I don't understand. You know how much of a pain in the ass a hangover can be. Why did you get yourself wasted again?"

"I much prefer being wasted that inside this stupid bug, no offense."

"Non taken..."

"You know, I think Henry's book crap has started messing with my head."

"Why's that?"

"I had a dream."

"Oh, God... I'm really not in the mood to hear of your sex dreams again..." said Emma.

"It wasn't a sex dream!" yelled Ris.

"What was it about?" asked Emma, not really interested.

"I saw Robin Hood. And man, he was a hot one..." muttered Ris with a dreamy smile.

Emma rolled her eyes.

"Well, if you're lucky, Henry will find out that you are Marian." she said sarcastically.

"Hey, do not mock my dreams. Not cool. And Marian was in my dream as well so..."

"I think that page you read got in your head."

"What page?"

"The one that Henry gave you. I read it. Haven't you?"

"No... Can I have that page?" asked Ris, really curiously.

"Sure." said Emma and handed the page to Ris.

"Torch please." said Ris, and Emma handed her the torch as well.

Ris couldn't belive the coincidence. Of course she knew that Henry's nonsense was just... Well, nonsense. But she couldn't help but feel a little weird after reading the last quote in the page.

"Your little secret's safe with me..."

* * *

"Get up." said Emma as she hit Ris's arm to wake her up again.

"Why are you waking me up? What time is it?" said Ris, rubbing the sleepiness off her eyes.

"It's four in the afternoon." said Emma and she sat on the driver's seat.

"What?!" yelled Ris and she immediately got up and positioned herself on the passenger's seat. "Why didn't you wake me?"

"I tried, but I stopped somewhere between _"fuck off"_ and _"I know karate"_."

"You really belived that I know karate?" said Ris and begun to laugh.

"Of course not. But I don't doupt that you have learned by your own rules. Here, I got you coffe. You don't wanna be yawning on your first day at work." said Emma and took a sip of her own coffe.

"Ugh. Don't remind me. I swear, if Mr Gold makes me clean his golden coins like Scrouge does Donald, I'll punch him in the face." said Ris and grabbed her coffe. "So, what did I miss while I was out?"

"I just hung out with Henry. He thinks he found my dad."

"Prince Charming? Where?"

"In the hospital. Apparently, he's been in a comma for twenty eight years and now it's finally time that he wakes up."

"Let me guess. He wants to reunite him with Snow White, aka Mary Margaret."

"Exactly. Specifically, he wants me to get Mary Margaret to read him from his book, hoping that he'll remember his _"Enchanted Forest"_ past."

"Yeah, that does sound like something he would say. What are you gonna do?"

"I'll do it."

Ris almost choked with her coffe.

"You will?"

"Yeah. When _"Prince Charming"_ won't wake up, he'll realize that all the book crap is just... Book crap, and maybe he'll stop beliving them without getting hurt."

"Lame plan."

"Do you have a better idea?"

"I didn't say that, but still. Lame. Good luck convincing Henry that magic isn't real."

"Mary Margaret thinks it will work."

"Seriously? She went on a date with a guy that was staring at Ruby's ass. You're really listening to her?"

"You know what? I don't care what you say. It will work, and when it does, I'll come back here and rub it in your face."

"Wanna bet ten ten bucks?"

"You don't have ten bucks."

"Who cares? I'll win anyway."

* * *

Mr Gold smiled in satisfaction when he heard his shop's bell. He knew it would be Miss Silver. She had quite a day ahead of her.

"Late on your first day, Miss Silver? That's quite the first impression you are giving." said Gold, not taking his eyes off his work.

"It's half past five..." said Clarissa.

"We agreed quarter past five."

"So? It's just fifteen minuites."

"You are lucky I'm in a good mood."

"What will I be doing?" she said, losing her patience.

"For starters..." said Gold and walked over to the corner of the room to pick up a broomstick. "You can begin with the back room."

"Seriously? You want me to sweep the floor?"

"Yes. And after that," he said and opened his drawer to take out a rug. "You can clean the shelves and a few objects I'll show you."

"With that? Don't you have a magical swiffer or something? Or at least a vacuum cleaner for the floor?"

"I have no such thing. You can start now."

Gold was sure that he heard Clarissa muttering a few curses before she actually started with her cleaning. He was only amused by her behavior. She was quite something.

"Did you have a job back in Boston?" asked Gold, trying to start a converstation while he kept doing his work.

"Never had one. I didn't even finish with college in London." she replied casually.

"And why's that?"

"And why do you care?"

"I don't. I'm merely trying to help you pass the time."

"I got bored. It was always raining, I never had a change of scenery and there was nothing interesting other than prince Harry's idiocy." she said, after considering wheter she should talk to him or not.

"Prince?" asked Gold, surprised that people in the Land Without Magic still held those titles.

"Yeah, the title means nothing. Although they are still wearing those ridiculous outfits..." she said.

Gold had no idea what the girl was talking about, but he needed to cut the small talk and get to the important questions.

"May I ask why you're in Storybrooke with Miss Swan? I assume you have family or friends back in Boston. Why would you stay here, living in a car?"

"I'm sort of an orphan. And I'm not good at making friends so..." she said, as if she had no care in the world.

"I wonder why that is." said Gold, wanting to get a reaction from her.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked, finally looking up from the floor.

"Why nothing Miss Silver. Please, continue." he said.

Clarissa rolled her eyes and got back to work.

* * *

 _ **The Enchanted Forest**_

 _ **A Long Time Ago...**_

"Here you go." said Marian, as she served her husband and Clarissa their dinner.

"Thank you Marian." said Robin.

"Yeah, thank you." muttered Clarissa.

Clarissa had been living with Robin Hood and Marian for one week. She was surprised they even beared with her. She wasn't demanding at all, but she still had the attitude. Robin and Marian were making it quite difficult for her not to like them and that wasn't good at all. She shouldn't have stayed for that long, but Marian insisted that she stayed until they found someone to take her in. She had tried to explain that she was perfectly capable of doing that herself, but Marian was way too nice to just leave her be.

She didn't have much time left... She had to succeed in two weeks time, or everything would be over. She had to remember that this wasn't just for her...

"Robin, I have some good news." said Marian, suddenly. Oh no... Couldn't she pick another time to do that? She just had to say it now? How in hell would Clarissa find the will inside her and leave them?

"What is it?" asked Robin. Marian took his hand.

"I'm pregnant."she said, barely containing her exitement.

"You are... You're pregnant?" asked Robin, still processing what he just heard. Marian nodded happily and her husband kissed her affectionally. Even Clarissa couldn't help but forget about her limited time and put a small smile on her face.

"Isn't this wonderful?" said Robin.

"Uh, yeah... Amazing." said Clarissa. She was never good at expressing emotions, so she might as well have ruined the happy moment. Thankfully, Robin didn't pay attention to her.

"Excuse me..." she said and got off her chair and out of the small house. lt was dark outside, so she didn't have to worry about someone seeing her. She leaned on the wall as she considered what exactly she was feeling. She was happy for Marian and Robin of course... And that was rare. She had never really cared for anyone other than herself and of course her...

"Well well. Look who we have here." said a voice, interrupting her from her thoughts. A voice she knew very well.

"Seriously? Can't I have one week without seeing your annoying face?" she whispered/yelled at the person beside her.

"You wouldn't have to if you simply did what you were told."

"I am doing it. Is it bad that I wanted a break?"

"One week's break?"

"Is it bad that I wanted my break to be a long one?"

"Considering you only have two weeks, yes. It is bad."

"Fine. I'll leave tonight. Can you go now?"

"I'll only belive it when I see it. You like those people don't you?"

"Not everyone is as unlikable as you."

"You don't really show them that you like them though. You're hiding it behind the... Sassy attitude and rude behavior. Why's that?"

"You're not here for a small talk. So cut the crap and throw your threats already."

"What makes you think I'm here to threaten you?"

"Aren't you?"

"Yes, I am, but why would you think that?"

"Spill it out before I slam your face on the wall."

"I'd love to see you try. Anyway, I came to remind you that if you do not leave for the Dark Castle tonight, Marian won't live long enough to even get her baby bump."

He was infuriating her. He always did. But she didn't want to give him the satisfaction of knowing how much. So she simply looked at him with a fake smile before replying to his threats.

"You know, someone would've thought that after two hundred years of endless hide and seek you'd realize that I don't do well with threats." she said. Before he had a chance to reply, she grabbed the colar of his shirt and pinned him onto the wall. She knew that her move wouldn't make him feel intimidated. But it was better than accepting his threats without fighting back somehow. "Now, get this into your thick skull. I don't need you popping up whenever you feel like it, I remember what my goal is and I'll certainly not back down on our deal. Because, in case you forgot, I despise you and I won't miss the chance of getting rid of your presence in my life. Hell, I'll kill you myself if it comes to it." she said.

"And how would you even begin to do that, Rissy?" he asked, and he moved Clarissa's hand away from his shirt. "In case you forgot..." he started, and he leaned towards her face more, as if he was about to tell her a secret. "I can't die."

"Like hell you can't. Everyone can die. So make sure to stay the hell away from Robin, Marian and their child, or I'll make you regret it."

"More empty threats. Aren't you tired of fighting yet? Cause I know I am."

"Clarissa?" said Robin from inside the house. He sighed, probably mad at the interruption.

"Although I do like your fire, I better get going. Good luck with explaining Robin Hood all your crazy shouting." he said and disappeared to thin air.

Robin got out of the house with a concerned look on his face.

"Are you talking to someone?" he asked.

"Uh... No. It was just a... spider. I'm deadly afraid of those nasty little bastards." she said akwardly.

"Why don't you get some rest? It'll help you."

"I don't need rest." she said stubbornly.

"What's up with your attitude? Marian and I are trying to help you."

Clarissa regreted talking to him like that. But it appeared that her negative attitude towards people wasn't something simple enough to fix.

"Sorry... I'll rest." she said. She wasn't planning on it at all. She would sneak out at night. Robin and Marian wouldn't miss her. Robin's special crossbow had to be somewhere inside his house... She didn't believe that anyone would feel sorry for a thief, and she needed to arm herself if she only had two weeks to reach the Dark Castle on foot.

 _ **Storybrooke**_

 _ **Present Time...**_

"Found something interesting, Miss Silver?" said Gold.

Clarissa had been cleaning the same object for about ten minuites. Gold couldn't help but notice her interest. Maybe she remembered something from her Enchanted Forest past. Maybe she could enlighten him as well. The object of her interest was a crossbow. A crossbow that he couldn't bring himself to remember.

"Uh? No, no. It's just... Where did you find this?" she asked.

"It's been here for as long as I can remember. I don't really keep track."

"Oh... Because I'm pretty sure that I've seen it before."

"Well, maybe if you clean it ten more times you'll remember."

"What?"

"You heard me. Ten more times."

"Bastard..." Clarissa said that very quietly but Gold still heard it. He didn't want to torment the girl, as weird as that sounded, but if she kept cleaning the same object, she might remember something.

"Were you ever adopted?" asked Gold.

"Nope. I was kinda the black sheep of the orphanage. I was there since I was eight, I stayed until eighteen." replied Clarissa.

"Eight you say? What happened before you went to the orphanage?"

Clarissa was about to answer, but she stopped to consider it.

"I have no idea... Everything is a haze."

After that, she mumbled some excuses and went to clean another part of the shop, obviously wanting to avoid talking to him anymore. Gold decided to let this go and get back to his work.

* * *

Emma quickly took a seat on one of Granny's tables. Ris would not get drunk tonight, she refused to have to deal with her hangover. Besides, she was really curious to finding out how her day at Mr Gold's shop went. She hadn't seen much of this Mr Gold, but Ris kept saying that he was creepy. If he matched to that description, Emma couldn't wait to see for how long Gold would tolerate Ris.

"Hey Ruby, get the first shot rea...dy..." said Ris, but stopped mid sentence when she noticed Emma on the table.

"Seriously? Are you following me?" said Ris, annoyed.

"Just making sure that you don't get wasted tonight. Sit." said Emma.

Ris sat down, although unwillingly and glared daggers at Emma.

"Don't give me that look. Anyways, I really need you to be fully awake tommorow for Mary Margaret's show to Henry."

"Why?"

"Because he wants you to belive in his nonsense as well. And you can't bail on Operation Cobra."

"I'm telling you, one way or another, your plan will fail. That much I can assure you of."

"It will work. How did it go with Gold?"

"He was chatty."

"Really? I didn't cut him as the type."

"Me either. But the good part is that I didn't get fired. In six days time, you can kiss your yellow bug goodbye."

"About that..."

"What is it?"

"Mary Margaret offered us a room and a couch at her home..."

"When did that happen? Why didn't you tell me?"

"Yesterday, when she brought you to the car. I don't really want to burden the woman. Regina is already making her life difficult, she doesn't need _that_ as well."

"Yeah, well since I don't care about what the big bad mayor has to say... You sort of have to reconsider that offer."

"We don't need it anyway. As you said, in six days we'll get back here and everything shall be fine."

"Yeah, but I don't want to owe Mr Gold. Shit happens, and by that I mean that I'll probably do something stupid to piss him off and he'll take our ticket to Granny's back."

"Then don't do something stupid." said Emma, as if it was the easy to do.

"I can't. It's naturally impossible."

"Right, you were born with stupidity."

"Not amused." said Ris.

The two best friends had dinner and returned to the car, both of them expecting different results from Mary Margaret's show to Henry.

* * *

Next morning, Emma and Ris were sat on the exact same table along with Henry. They were waiting for Mary Margaret to show up and give Henry a full report of what happened at the hospital.

"Haven't you brought another shirt?" asked Henry.

"That was a last minuite trip, kid. We weren't really planning on staying." replied Emma.

"That's okay. I thought you might need them." said Henry and handed them two shirts. Emma got a black button up one while Ris got the same in white.

"Wow. Thanks champion. I swear, this thing has melted on me." said Ris pointing at her current black tank top and hurried to the inn's bathroom to change along with Emma.

Ris was out first and as soon as she sat, Henry started bombarding her with questions.

"Did you remember? Have you read the page?"

"Yeah, I did read it. Honestly, I think I saw it in my dreams as well."

"Really?" asked Henry with exitment on his voice.

"Yeah. I think I dreamt Robin Hood's crossbow."

"Exactly! Because you stole it! I knew you'd remember!"

"Why would I steal a crossbow?" asked Ris.

"I have no idea. I'm still looking for more of your backstory."

"Thanks for the shirt, kid." said Emma when she got out of the bathroom.

"No offense, Swan, but black is sort of my colour." said Ris.

"Is that your mom's?" asked Emma, ignoring Ris's comment.

"She'll never notice." said Henry, michievously.

"Criminal from a young age. I like that." said Ris with a smile that matched Henry's and high fived him.

"Where does she think you are anyways?" asked Emma.

"Playing Whac-A-Mole." replied Henry, casually.

Ris almost choked on her cocoa.

"She really bought that?" she asked while laughing.

"She wants to belive it so she does." said Henry.

"Oh imagine that." said Emma.

"She's here." said Henry, looking at Granny's entrance. Ris turned to look and she saw that Mary Margaret had just entered the dinner.

"It's on." muttered Ris.

"Hey, don't get your hopes up. We're just getting started, okay?" said Emma.

Mary Margaret hurried and sat next to Henry and across Ris. Emma looked at her expectingly.

"He woke up." said Mary Margaret and Emma's smile was replaced by a surprised expression. Even Ris couldn't hide her surprise. She knew that she would win the bet, but that was just... Wow.

"What?" said Emma.

"Guess who owes me ten bucks." said Ris.

"I knew it!" said Henry.

"I mean, he didn't 'wake up' wake up, but he grabbed my hand." said Mary Margaret, barely containning her exitemen.

"He's remembering!" said Henry.

"What did the doctor say?" asked Emma.

"Who cares what he said? Dr Whale barely knows what he's doing, he probably got the job because he figured it would have the most ass staring." said Ris, refering on what happened yesterday with Mary Margaret. Even if she was drunk, she could still remember that detail.

"Uh... He said that I imagined it, but I'm not crazy, I know what happened." said Mary Margaret, feeling akward about Ris's comment.

"We have to go back! You have to read to him again!" said Henry.

"Let's go!" said Mary Margaret, teaming up with Henry, leaving a speechless Emma and an amused Ris behind. Ris quickly emptied her cup of cocoa and got up.

"What are you waiting for Swan? Let's go meet your daddy." she joked.

* * *

"You're right! He's waking up!" said Henry as soon as he, Emma, Ris and Mary Margaret got to Jon Doe's room. There was a crowd formed around his room, all the doctors were there, as well as sheriff Graham and Regina.

"Henry, you should stay back." said Graham standing in front of Henry to prevent him from going any closer.

"Ah. Just the guy I wanted to see." muttered Ris. "What's going on? Where is Jon Doe?" she asked.

"He's missing." said Graham.

"What?" said Ris, trying to get closer to the room, but Graham grabbed her arm to prevent her.

"They are trying to find clues, it would be best for you not to annoy them." he said.

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Ris.

"What the hell are you two doing here?" asked Regina's voice.

"Hey there Gina. Last time we checked, this was a public hospital." said Ris, not really in the mood for another converstation with the big bad mayor.

"And you – I thought you were at the arcade. Now you're lying to me?" said Regina to Henry.

"No time for that, Gina. What happened to Jon Doe?"

"Did someone take him?" asked Mary Margaret.

"We don't know yet. His IVs were ripped out but there's no sign for sure there's a struggle." explained Graham.

"You know, I wouldn't hold onto whatever he says. Maybe I should check..." said Ris.

"What makes you think you can figure it out?" asked Graham.

"Because that's what I was studying in London. So If you'd let me..."

"What did you do?" asked Henry, suddenly directing his question to Regina.

"You think I had something to do with this?" asked Regina.

"I wouldn't put it past you..." said Ris.

"Yeah. It is quite curious that the Mayor is here." said Emma.

"I'm here because I'm his emergency contact." said Regina, angrily.

"You know him?" asked Mary Margaret.

"I found him. On the side of the road years ago with no ID. I brought him here." explained Regina.

"Mayor Mills saved his life." said Dr Whale.

"What a hero..." commented Ris, sarcastically, not really beliving what Regina said. Suddenly, her phone rang and she had to seperate from the group of idiots.

"Excuse me..." she muttered and walked a little further in order to listen to the other line. It was Mr Gold.

"What?" she said as soon as she picked up.

"Is that a way to speak to your emploee, Miss Silver?"

"What is it?"

"You are on the early shift today. Did I forget to tell you that?"

"It sounds like you just came up with it to ruin my day."

"Well, you know now. Be at the shop in fifteen minuites." he said and hung up.

"I'll kill that guy..." muttered Ris.

Emma and the others decided to organise a search party for Jon Doe, and Ris asked them to keep her updated because Mr Gold was calling. She really hoped that Mr Gold would let her go earlier, she didn't want to miss a thing from the mission of finding Jon Doe.

* * *

 **A/N: Here it is! Thank you for the favorites and follows! Thank you XxLostDreamerxX, Book of Hope, Blacklab369, Lolo314, LoesSnape, and Guest for reviewing!**

 **Also, and answer to the guest reviewer: Thank you so much for taking the time to read my story, and your review means a lot! And yeah, Ris kind of** _ **is**_ **a spoiled brat, she thinks that she never needs help with anything because of her HUGE ego. I really want to show that she is not a selfless good girl with a sense of humor, she has no friends for a reason. LOL I would kick her out as well, but Robin is Robin so he had to help her. I'm glad that you like my story though. :-) Thank you for reading, and until next time!:-D**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9  
**

"I'm here." said Ris when she entered Mr Gold's shop.

"Good evening, Miss Silver, you can start with the back room." said Mr Gold, not taking his eyes off his work, as usual.

"What's the difference between me cleaning at night and me cleaning at the evening?" asked Ris.

"You had something better to do?"

"As a matter of fact, I did. A Jon Doe has gone missing and I was gonna help in finding him."

"Sounds interesting. Now take this," said Gold and handed her the boomstick. "And get to work." he said.

"You just wanted to ruin my day... Where are you heading at now?" asked Ris when Gold abandoned his desk, took his cane and headed to the door.

"Not that it's any of your business, but someone has been late with his rent. I'll only be a few minuites. No breaks." he said and got out.

Now that the cat was gone, it was time for some snooping. Starting with the creepy dolls.

* * *

"You two were the only employees on the floor last night. And you saw nothing." stated Graham. He wasn't even surprised. He was sure that even if Leroy saw something he would say nothing because of his stubborness. And Walter... Was Walter. He was sleeping even when he was standing.

"Not a thing." said Walter, sleepily.

"Did anyone walk by?" asked Emma.

"I didn't see nothin'." said Leroy.

"Miss Blanchard, was there anything unusual you saw during your trip with your class?" asked Graham, turning to Mary Margaret.

"I don't think so..." replied Mary Margaret.

"You're looking at the wrong tape." said Emma as she looked at the video more carefully. "This is the ward where Henry's class put up decorations. If this was really the tape from last night, we'd see the banners the kids hung." she said.

"You fell asleep again." accused Leroy, pointing at Walter.

"You selling me out?" asked Walter.

"I ain't getting fired for this." said Leroy.

"At least I don't drink on the job." said Walter.

"Gentlemen, enough. Where's the real tape?" asked Graham, tired of the stupid bickering. Walter switched the tape and the image blurred. When it became clear again, it showed Jon Doe walking out the door.

"He walked out alone, he's okay." said Mary Margaret, her voice holding way to much relief for a person she didn't even know.

"Four hours ago. Where does this door lead?" asked Emma.

"The woods." said Leroy.

"Damn it..." muttered Emma. As if her day wasn't hard enough already.

"Will Miss Silver join us in finding Jon Doe?" asked Graham out of the blue.

"She's working, so no. Why?" asked Emma.

"Just wondering... Whether I should bring extra cuffs." said Graham and exited the room. Emma rolled her eyes the banter between her best friend and the sheriff. Talk about immaturity...

Emma, Graham and Mary Margaret quickly moved the search party to the woods. Jon Doe would be found dead or alive, the latter preferable.

* * *

"No fucking way..." muttered Ris. She carefully took the object of her interest in her hand. It was a necklace. It didn't really look like a necklace though, it was like a small container tied on a piece of rope. She was sure that she had seen it before, that was why it grabbed her interest, whatever it was. Just like the crossbow from yesterday. Which she couldn't find anywhere. She had cleaned the damn thing ten times and Gold decided to take it off? She would surely kill that guy... He would soon become more annoying than the big bad mayor.

The sound of her phone ringing made her jump in surprise. It sounded like the shop's bell and she was worried that Gold was back. Thankfully, it wasn't him. She ran to the desk where she had left her phone and picked it up.

"Yeah?" she said.

"There has been progress with Jon Doe. He's somewhere at the woods and that's where we're heading at now." said Emma.

"The woods? The only thing you'll find there will be Jon Doe's dead body. You'd better send Henry home." said Ris and she sat on the chair behind Gold's desk and put her legs on it.

"He's not dead, and Regina already took Henry home."

"She did now, didn't she? I bet that she, as the big bad mayor that she is, said something like _"If you can't stay away from my son, I'll keep my son away from you"_. Did I get right?"

"That's exactly what she said. How is it going with Gold?"

"I think I might get fired today."

"What did you do?"

"It's not about what I did. It's about what I'll do in about... Twenty seconds."

"What are you talking about?"

"You'll see. I'd much rather create suspense." she joked and hung up. Then she got off the chair and headed out of the shop. There was no way they'd find Jon Doe, dead or alive, without her.

* * *

 _ **The Enchanted Forest**_

 _ **A Long Time Ago...**_

Clarissa looked up from her map. There it was. The troll bridge, or former troll bridge. According to the information that _he_ gave her, all the trolls were turned into bugs thanks to Snow White and Prince James. So thankfully, there shouldn't be a problem with crossing the bridge to finally get to the Dark Castle. She cautiously took the first step towards the bridge. Nothing happened, so she kept moving with more ensurance on her steps.

She soon heard something moving behind the bushes. She acted instinctively and raised Robin's crossbow. She still felt bad for stealing it. But it had to be done. She pointed the arrow towads the bushes and waited for whatever was behind them to move again.

"You are busted! Come out whoever you are before I show you what being shot by an arrow feels like!" she said. She almost sounded like _him_... Only that she had hints of fear in her voice. He never showed fear because _he_ was the one that everyone was afraid of.

She stayed in that position for a while, before she felt a sharp pain on her leg. She let out a slight scream. She had experienced this pain quite a few times from where she came from so she was sort of used to it. Though it still hurt like a bitch... She looked down on her leg to see a blade stuck inside her ankle, blood dripping from the wound. She didn't have time to take it out. The weapon had came from behind her, so the sounds at the bushes were a mere distraction. She turned around as fast as she could, ignoring the pain on her leg, and she shot the first arrow. The person that threw the blade on her, a man who was wearing a silly armor, ducked before the arrow hit him. Clarissa took off, running away from the bridge, but more men dressed in the same armor jumped in front of her from behind bushes. What the hell did they even want from her? She looked around to see if she could find another way out of this situation. She didn't really have time to think. So she did the first thing that came in her mind. She grabbed her crossbow with her two hands and hit the man behind her on the head. She used that distraction to run towards the bridge again, hoping that they would leave her alone if she got far enough. She was wrong. The man she hit over the head was still concious and more furious than ever. He ran after her, and he was a hell of a runner.

She managed to keep a safe distance between her and the man for a few minuites, but the moment she slowed down, she got tackled to the ground on her stomach. The man turned her around and got ready to punch her.

"What the hell is wrong with you?! I didn't do anything!" screamed Clarissa.

"You have Robin Hood's crossbow, don't you lie to me! You are helping _them_!"

"I have no idea what you're..." she started, but the man banged her head on the ground to shut her up. Clarissa tried to defend herself by trying to punch the man's face. All she did was removing the man's helmet from his armor... To see that it wasn't a man at all. It was a woman with black hair and dark eyes.

"You're a..." she started but the woman banged her head on the ground again and this time the hit knocked her unconcious.

Mulan quickly put her helmet back on before anyone would see her. If anyone found out her secret, it would be a great shame for her father and her family. The girl wasn't working for the Huns... Mulan had accused her for nothing... Yao was sure that she was an enemy when he saw his friend, Robin Hood's crossbow. She shouldn't have listened to him, Yao wasn't the smartest one around anyways. Now the girl knew her secret. Mulan wouldn't kill her to keep her quiet, but she couldn't risk having her secret revealed...

"Hey, Ping! Did you get her?" asked Yao, breathing heavily after running so fast to catch up.

"Yeah. We have to take her to the camp. She might have information about the next Hun attack."

"Alright. But first, give me my friend's crossbow." said Yao. Mulan gave him Robin Hood's crossbow and they made their way for far away, back to their camp.

* * *

 _ **Storybrooke**_

 _ **Present Time...**_

Ris walked through the woods trying to find Emma and the others. She knew that Mr Gold would fire her for this, but if they would find Jon Doe alive, it would be worth it. She had already cleaned the back room of the shop somewhere between her snooping anyways. And she wasn't even getting payed for this...

"Ris!" she heard Henry's voice calling.

"What the hell are you doing here? Didn't the big bad mayor take you home?" she said.

"She did. But she went out straight away."

"She really thought that you would stay at home like the obedient little boy that you are not?"

"She thought that I would be too scared to leave the house. But I'm not afraid of her." said Henry.

"How brave. Just like your grandfather. Too bad that his bravery got him nowhere..."

"What are you talking about? He married his True Love and became a king."

"I'm not talking about his _"Whatever Forest"_ life. He went to the woods and he might be dead. So it would be best if you went home."

"There is no way that he's dead. He's just looking for Mary Margaret."

"Why would he... Right. Snow White."

"Exactly. Hey, I think we found Emma." said Henry and ran towards where he heard his mother's voice.

"Hey, champ! Wait!" said Ris and ran after him.

Henry stepped on a few branches, which made Emma and Mary Margaret flinch for a moment. But they were relieved when they saw it was Henry.

"Henry!" said Mary Margaret.

"Did you find him?" asked Henry.

"No, not yet. You shouldn't be here." said Emma.

"It gets worse." said Henry with a smile.

"How does it..." started Emma, but stopped midsentence when Ris came from the same spot that Henry did.

"Are you kidding me? You said you wouldn't do something stupid!" said Emma. Ris took a confounded expression.

"When did I say that, Swan? I said that it's naturally impossible for me _not_ to do something stupid."

"What are you gonna tell Gold?" asked Emma.

"Well, I'll start with something like, _"Yo Mr Gold! Whaddup?"_. How does that sound?"

"I wouldn't say _that_ to Mr Gold if I were you." advised Mary Margaret. "Henry, you should go home." she continued, looking at Henry.

"But I can help. I know where he's going!" said Henry.

"And where's that?" asked Mary Margaret.

"He's looking for you." said Henry.

"Henry logic. Just play along." whispered Ris and grabbed Mary Margaret's torch. "Hey! Graham, wait for us!" she yelled and started moving again.

"Why would you think he's looking for me?" asked Mary Margaret.

"You're the one who woke him up. You're the last one he saw. He wants to find you!" said Henry.

"Henry, it's not about me. I just… I think he's lost and confused. He's been in a coma a long time."

"But he loves you! You need to stop chasing him, and let him find you." said Henry.

"You really belive in love at first sight?" laughed Ris. "And Jon Doe didn't even see Mary Margaret. Sorry to tell you Henry, but you're a fangirl."

"No, you still do not get the point. They were already in love..." said Henry.

"Kid. You need to go home." said Emma, stopping Henry from making the situation akward for Mary Margaret. "Where's your mom? She's going to kill me and then you..."

"And then me." said Ris.

"And then me again." said Emma.

"And then all of us all over again." said Ris.

"She dropped me at the house. Then, went right out." explained Henry.

"Not his fault that she was too dumb to leave him alone." commented Ris.

"We need to get you back immediately." said Emma.

"No!" said Henry.

"Guys!" called Graham, who had moved way too far away from them. The four of them ran where Graham called them from. He had knelt on the ground looking at something in his hand.

"You finally found your dignity? I knew you had dropped it somewhere." commented Ris. Graham didn't respond and that was the first sign that they should be worried. Ris knelt next to Graham with a worried expression. Graham was pointing his torch on Jon Doe's hospital bracelet. It had fell on some leaves and it was full with mud and...

"Blood..." muttered Ris.

"Did you just say..." started Emma.

"I did." replied Ris. She quickly got up and searched for anything leading to Jon Doe.

"There is a trail of blood leading even further. Come on guys." said Ris and ran away, following the trail. Graham was the next to follow her and then Mary Margaret. Emma was reluctant because of Henry's presence. But she didn't have time to take him home.

"How do you think he injured himself?" asked Graham, running besides Ris.

"My best shot is on the wolf."

"Again with the wolf thing?"

"I already told you! There was a wolf. It was white and it howled. What don't you understand?"

"But that was just your excuse for drunk driving."

"We weren't... Why am I even starting this converstation with you? Where are we now?" she asked when they got to a lake.

"The Toll Bridge."

"Where is he? Can you see him?" asked Mary Margaret when they stopped.  
"I can't spot any more blood trails." said Ris.

"They die at the water line." said Graham.

"Oh my God!" screamed Mary Margaret. All four of them looked towards where Mary Margaret was looking. Jon Doe was lying unconcious in the water.

"Dear Lord..." said Ris and followed behind Mary Margaret, who was running towards Jon Doe as if her life depended on it.

"I need an ambulance! At the old Toll Bridge, as soon as possible." said Graham through his walkie talkie.

"Is he breathing?" asked Ris.

"No. He's not..." said Mary Margaert.

"We need to move him out of the water!" said Graham.

"Good idea." said Ris and grabbed Jon Doe's shoulders. The four of them got him to where Henry was waiting with a terrified look on his face, not wanting to belive that Jon Doe could be dead.

"Alright, alright, slow down! Put him down gently." advised Emma.

"No, no, no, no, no! No, no, no! I found you!" said Mary Margaret.

"Help is coming." said Graham to calm them down.

"Yeah, good luck with that, we must do something now!" said Ris.

"Is he okay?" asked Henry.

"Emma, you should get him out of here..." said Ris.

"No!" said Henry.

"It's alright, kid. Don't look." said Emma and wrapped her arms around Henry, burrying his face on her shirt.

"Come back to us. Come back to me." said Mary Margaret.

"Do CPR!" said Ris. She had heard Henry talking about True Love's kiss, so CPR was the first thing that came in her mind. Mary Margaret did it anyways. She leaned down, closed Jon Doe's nose and placed her mouth on his. Nothing happened. Ris was about to push Mary Margaret off Jon Doe and try to perform CPR herself. Thankfully, it didn't come to this. Jon Doe started coughing up water. Ris sighed in relief and bent down to make sure Jon Doe was alright.

"Are you alright, mate?"she asked.

Jon Doe ignored her and he looked at Mary Margaret instead.

"You saved me..." he said.

Ris got up and walked to Emma, who still had Henry in her arms.

"She did it. She woke him up." said Henry, happily.

"It was quite a crappy CPR... But yeah, she did." said Ris, placing her hand on Henry's shoulder. That would definetely be a hella good story to tell to his classmates.

* * *

Emma, Ris, Henry, Mary Margaret and Graham were looking through the glass in the hospital room, as the doctors were treating him. Suddenly, a woman with blonde hair bursted inside the room. She was calling Jon Doe's name, which was apparently David. The doctors were trying to get her out but she was ignoring them.

"Who the hell is the crazy chick?" asked Ris.

"His wife." said Regina's voice from behind them.

"Okay, you should really change his emergency number to hers. Because _this_ was an emergency." she said, pointing at Mary Margaret.

"He won't be needing it anymore, Miss Silver. That woman is his wife, Kathryn. And the joy on her face, well, it's put me in quite the forgiving mood." replied Regina, looking between her and Emma.

"Oh the joy." muttered Ris.

Regina looked at Henry.

"We'll talk about your insubordination later. Do you know what insubordination means? It means you're grounded." she said. Henry made a face, but he didn't really mind. They had found Jon Doe, so that was something.

"How is it possible that this Kathryn chick didn't know that her own husband was in a comma?" asked Ris. No one got the chance to reply when Ris's phone rang. It would be Mr Gold, for sure.

"Excuse me." she said and walked away.

She considered picking up the phone. But if she wouldn't, she would be in way bigger trouble.

"Before you start yelling at me, let me explain..." she started.

"Lucky for you, Miss Silver, I'm in a forgiving mood today. Come in fifteen minuites and there will be no trouble." said Mr Gold and hung up. That was easy...

"Swan, I'm off to Gold's. Looks like today is the day of forgiving moods. I'll meet you at the car?" she said to Emma.

"Wait, what are you doing going to Gold's shop?" asked Regina.

"Don't you know? He offered me a job." said Ris.

"That imp..." muttered Regina and she turned back to Henry.

"Riiight... See you at the car." she told Emma.

"Wait." said Emma, grabbing her arm.

"What is it? I'm gonna be late."

"I've... Sort of been thinking about the spare room at Mary Margaret's house..." whispered Emma, so that Regina wouldn't hear.

"I knew that you'd come to your senses sooner or later." said Ris with a smile on her face.

"Meet me in my car. I'll take us there after you're done with Gold." said Emma.

"Gotcha. I hope our new roomate won't change her mind." said Ris and went off to Gold's.

* * *

"I'm waiting for an explanation Miss Silver." said Gold, trying to sound intimidating, although he wouldn't fire the girl. No, he had still a few things to learn about her.

"Remember about that Jon Doe I told you about? Well, his name is actually David and there was a search party for him and I just had to join. But we found him, so this should be good news, right?" said Clarissa. She was saying everything with a sweet tone in her voice, as if preparing him for something bad she was about to say.

"Of course. I'm glad everything turned out the way you wanted. But you look tense, dearie. Is something the matter?" he asked.

"Uh, I sort of found a place." she said, reluctantly.

"How wonderful to hear that. My guess is that you won't be needing the job anymore."

"I won't. It was good doing business with you, Mr Gold." she said akwardly and turned to leave.

"Wait a minuite, dearie." he said.

"What is it?" she asked. Gold went to the back room of the shop, opened an old closet, and took out the familiar crossbow. The one he had made Clarissa clean about ten times.

"I was wondering what I was going to do with this old thing. I was gonna throw it away, but seeing your interest in it from yesterday, I think _you_ should have it." said Gold. If she had it close to her, it could bring back some flash of her memories, since they weren't taken from a curse. She was eight when she got to the orphanage, it made sense that she didn't remember what had happened before.

"What am I supposed to do with it? Demand a recast of Katniss Everdeen? Although J Law is doing a pretty fantastic job..." she said.

"I don't know what you're talking about, but I'm sure that you'll find it useful in the future. Besides, that's the least you could do, since _you_ quit." he said.

"Alright..." said Clarissa and took the crossbow. "See you later." she said, although it didn't sound like she was planning on it at all. Little did she know that this was definetely not the last time she dealt with Mr Gold...

* * *

 **A/N: Here it is! Hope you enjoyed this chap!**

 **I hope there wasn't too much eye rolling about the Mulan thing, I just felt that her story before Philip wasn't explored a lot, which is a shame because she is a really interesting character.**

 **Thank you Lolo314, Guest and victoria cullen33 for reviewing! Until next time!:-D  
**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

Henry watched his mother patiently as she put her lipstick in front of the mirror. He really couldn't wait until she went to this council meeting she had to go to, so he could see Emma and Ris.

"I know you think otherwise, but I don't enjoy these Saturday city council meetings. Sometimes, they're just unavoidable." said Regina. "Now, you know the rules."

"Yes on homework, no on TV, and stay inside." said Henry, pretending being the good boy that he was not, as Ris had said a few days ago.

"Good boy. Under no circumstance do you leave this house." she said, although it was obvious what she meant behind those words.

"You mean, don't see my mom and Ris." said Henry.

"She is not your mother. She's just a woman passing through. And I really don't want you around Miss Silver. She has a bad influence on you and she doesn't even realize that fact." said Regina. Sometimes Henry thought that her hatred towards Ris was worse than towards Emma. "She left town anyways. Maybe it's for the best."

"What? When did she leave town?" asked Henry, shocked and disappointed. He thought that Ris was living with Mary Margaret along with Emma.

"Yesterday night. Now, do as I say, or there will be consequences. I'll be back at five sharp." she said and left.

Henry didn't understand. Ris was planning on staying, why would she leave town? And why hadn't Emma told him anything about it? He was about to find out. He took his backpack and left his house, disobeying his mother's rules.

* * *

"Guess who's back!" said Ris as she opened the door of the Blanchard appartment. Emma and Mary Margaret, who were chatting in the kitchen, turned their heads to look at their cheerful friend, who was carrying a big box full of stuff.

"Welcome back. I just made lunch." said Mary Margaret.

"What took you so long? The drive from Boston to Maine wouldn't last so much." said Emma.

"Try looking around in every motorcycle store to find something to contain all these stuff on a small bike." said Ris, dropping the box down and then dropping herself on the couch.

"What bike?" asked Mary Margaret.

"You didn't..." said Emma, knowing exactly what bike she was talking about,

"I did. That baby is a keeper." said Ris, talking about the Kawasaki.

"Wait, you can drive a motorcycle?" asked Mary Margaret.

"The correct term is ride a motorcycle. And yeah, I got my lisence in London about nine months ago, on my birthday."

"Where are your own stuff?" asked Emma.

"I fitted some things of mine in that box as well. I can always share yours anyways." she said. Emma rolled her eyes and opened the box. First thing she noticed was something she had never seen before. It was a necklace which was surely Ris's. It looked old, but still precious. Like it would belong to a museum.

"What is that? Where did you get it?" asked Emma.

"Oh, that. I found it in my mailbox. It was sent on my birthday from the mysterious stranger. I was in London, so I never got it." said Ris.

"Oh..." said Emma, regretting that she asked. Thankfully, Mary Margaret interfered by taking the necklace from Emma's hands.

"It is really beautiful. That mysterious stranger must be a very rich mysterious stranger." she said with a smile.

"Well, that dude clearly doesn't know my style. I don't want to sound uncouth, but gold isn't really my thing." said Ris.

"Let me guess. Your thing is silver." said Mary Margaret.

"Ironically yes." said Ris.

Mary Margaret left the necklace on the table and looked at Emma, as she continued looking through her stuff.

"I really can't belive that's all your stuff." said Mary Margaret.

"We're not really sentimental." said Emma.

"Well, it must make things easier when you have to move." said Mary Margaret.

"No, what makes things easier is having a Ris getting your stuff for you." said Ris.

"You offered." said Emma.

"I only went for my bike. I'm just a nice person." said Ris.

"That's the joke of the day." said Emma with a small laugh.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Their banter was interrupted by a knock on the door.

"I get it!" said Ris, jumping up from the couch.

She opened the door to see the one and only Mr Gold. She could never escape this man...

"Miss Silver. Is that strange bike parked outside yours?" he asked.

"It's called a motorcycle and yes. What happened to your head?" she asked, noticing a small scar on his temple.

"It's nothing. Is Miss Swan here?" asked Gold.

"I'm here." said Emma, coming to the door.

"Hi, my name's Mr. Gold. We met briefly on your arrival." he said, extending his hand for Emma to shake.

"I remember." said Emma and shook his hand.

"Good. I have a proposition for you, Miss Swan. I, uh… I need your help. I'm looking for someone." said Gold.

"Really? Um..." said Emma, looking at Ris and Mary Margaret, silently asking them to leave.

"You know what? I'm going to go jump in the bath." said Mary Margaret and left. Ris didn't move an inch.

"Miss Silver, it's a proposition for Miss Swan, I don't think you could be of help." said Mr Gold.

"Police forces is what I was studying in London. So if it has to do with the law, I think I can be... _of help_." said Ris, stubbornly, mimicking Gold's accent.

"Very well. I have a photo. Her name is Ashley Boyd. And she's taken something quite valuable of mine." said Gold, walking inside the appartment and handed Emma the photo of a blonde girl in his shop.

"She looks... Pregnant. And really dumb." said Ris, muttering the last part only for herself to hear.

"Why don't you just go to the police?" asked Emma.

"Because, uh… She's a confused young woman. She's pregnant. Alone and scared. I don't want to ruin this young girl's life. But I just want my property returned." said Mr Gold.

"I really don't belive you came to Emma out of the goodness of your heart. What did this Ashley chick take from you?" asked Ris.

"Well, one of the advantages of you not being the police is discretion. Let's just say it's a precious object and leave it at that." said Gold.

"No, no, no. See, I was studying to be a cop, so you sort of need to tell me what she took from you." said Ris.

"Exactly. Studying, Miss Silver. Let's just leave it at that just like you left your studies." said Gold.

"When'd you see her last?" asked Emma.

"Last night. That's how I got this." said Gold, pointing at the scar on his temple.

"It's nothing my ass..." muttered Ris.

"It's so unlike her. She was quite wound up. Rambling on and on about changing her life. I have no idea what got into her. Miss Swan, please help me find her. My only other choice is the police, and I don't think anyone wants to see that baby born in jail now, do they?" asked Gold, rhetorically.

"No, of course not." said Emma, somewhat akwardly, for reasons uknown to Ris.

"So, you'll help me, then?" asked Gold.

"It's her we'll be helping, not you." said Ris.

"Great." said Mr Gold, not offended at all.

Suddenly, Henry walked into the house without knocking.

"Hey, Emma. Do you know where Ris has gone to? I was thinking..." he said but stopped midsentence when he saw Mr Gold.

"Ris is right here champion." said Ris.

"Hey, Henry. How are you?" asked Mr Gold.

"Okay...?" said Henry.

"Good. Give my regards to your mother. And, um, good luck, Miss Swan, Miss Silver." he said and left, closing the door behind him.

"I take it that this dude scares you as well." commented Ris.

"My mom said you left town." said Henry, ignoring Ris's statement.

"I did. I took a bus to Boston to get some of our stuff here... And my bike. I even told that to your mom when I ran into her yesterday." said Ris.

"She must've wanted to put me in a bad mood so I wouldn't come to see you." said Henry.

"Yeah, that's probably it." said Ris.

"About Mr Gold, do you know who he is?" asked Henry, refering the question to both Emma and Ris.

"Of course we do." said Emma.

"I worked at his shop for two days." said Ris, carelessly.

"I meant in the book." said Henry.

"No idea but I bet he wasn't a fairy godmother." said Ris.

"Is that all you brought?" asked Henry, looking at the box of stuff.

"Yeah, that's all." said Emma.

"For the both of you?" asked Henry.

"Henry, what are you doing here?" asked Emma.

"My mom's gone til five. I thought the three of us could hang out."

"Ah, kid. I wish I could. But there's something I got to do."

"What is it?" asked Henry.

"Apparently, being Gold's little bitches." replied Ris instead of Emma.

* * *

"Please let me help." pleaded Henry, as he, Emma and Ris walked towards the bug.

"No! It could be dangerous." said Emma.

"The pregnant maid is dangerous?" asked Henry.

"She assaulted Mr Gold." said Emma.

"Cool!" said Henry.

"To be honest, I'll give her a heads up for hitting him over the head. And I would even pay her if she hit him on his..." started Ris.

"Hey!" said Emma.

"I was gonna say nose!" said Ris, raising her arms in surrender.

"Sure you were. And she was desperate, that's not a game, kid." said Emma.

"How do you know?" asked Henry.

"Yeah, Swan. How _do_ you know?" asked Ris.

"Because I know." said Emma.

"So mature..." commented Ris.

"Well, then let's find her." said Henry, ready to get in the bug.

"Oh, no, no, no, no. There is no let's. You cannot come with us." said Emma, without unlocking the car.

"Then I'll look for her myself."

"Then I'll find you and I'll bring you back."

"Then you wouldn't be helping the maid."

"Guys, shut up. Your pointless arguement is giving me a headache." said Ris, being sure that if she hadn't spoken, they would continue arguing.

"I am just trying to be responsible, here." said Emma.

"And I'm just trying to spend time with you guys." said Henry.

"Okay, now that that's settled, let's get going." said Ris and grabbed Emma's car keys to unlock the car. "Or I'll take my bike and find the stupid maid on my own while you keep arguing."

"Thanks, Ris." said Henry and got in the car.

"That's really not fair." said Emma.

"It is perfectly fair, Swan. It's two against one." said Ris and got to the passenger's seat.

"So, the maid. What's her story?" asked Henry, and didn't stop talking for the entire drive.

* * *

 _ **The Enchanted Forest**_

 _ **A Long Time Ago...**_

Clarissa opened her eyes hours later. Having her head banged on the ground did not feel good. She hissed in pain when she tried to get up from... Wherever this woman had placed her on. She looked around and noticed that she was in a tent and she was lied on a bed. There was a guard standing in front of her bed, observing her every move. He was wearing the ridiculous armor, so her guess was that they held her captive. But why was that? She hadn't done anything... Robin's crossbow, it had something to do with that according to the woman who knocked her out.

"Rise and shine." said the guard.

"Where's my crossbow?" asked Clarissa.

" _Your_ crossbow? If you mean the one you stole from my friend Robin Hood, it's in a safe place." said the guard.

"I didn't ask you to describe the place you hid it, I asked you where it is." said Clarissa, losing her patience.

"Leave her to me, Yao." said a voice. It was the woman that knocked her out, only that she was using a very strange voice. It sounded like she was pretending to be a man.

"Alright Ping. If you need me, I'll be right outside." said Yao.

When Yao got out of the tent, the woman looked at Clarissa and slowly took off the helmet of her armor.

"Ping? Not a really feminine name for you, is it?" said Clarissa.

"My real name is Mulan. I'm sorry for coming after you yesterday. It was a false alarm, Yao saw Robin Hood'd crossbow and we he thought you were working for the Huns." explained the woman.

"If you want the crossbow, you can have it. And if you can, please get it back to Robin and Marian, I really don't want the trouble." said Clarissa. "And who are those Huns anyway?"

"A nation of savages. They declared war on the kingdom I reside and we have been fighting against them for ten months."

"Try fighting the ogres... I bet the Huns are bunnies in front of them." said Clarissa.

"Ogres do not reside in this area of the Enchanted Forest." said Mulan.

"Uh... Where exactly are we?" asked Clarissa.

"Far away. There's no need to worry. You are safe in this camp." said Mulan.

"How far? Where is my map?" asked Clarissa and jumped from the bed, heading out of the tent. Mulan grabbed her hand and dragged her back inside.

"You can't leave. If you step out of this tent, you'll look suspicious. Some already volunteered to kill you. It was thanks to me that you are still breathing." said Mulan.

"You don't understand. I have a destination. If I'm not there in two weeks... I'll lose everything."

"Your life is more important than anything you possess. Don't worry. Nothing bad will happen to you here."

"What about the Huns? What if they attack here?"

"They won't. Me, Yao and the other men are soldiers in trainning. The Huns have no interest in fighting us."

"You don't understand. If I don't leave now, it won't only be my life that's at stake. It will also be yours and everyone else's."

"Don't be ridiculous. No one is in danger here exept you, if you don't do as I say."

Mulan started to walk away. Clarissa wouldn't have any of it. She grabbed Mulan's arm and prevented her from leaving.

"Please! I have a brother who's in danger. if I don't leave right now he'll die!" said Clarissa, desperately.

"You're making it up. Why are you telling me this now?"

"Why would I lie about something like this?"

" _You_ have the answer to that question. Now sit and be quiet. Or everyone will be lining up to question you, and trust me, they won't be as patient as I am." said Mulan and got out of the tent after she put her helmet back on.

Clarissa sat back on the bed. The one time she needed _him_ , he decided not to come. There was no way out of this situation... She would lose everything she had, her only brother. Unless there was another way...

* * *

 _ **Storybrooke**_

 _ **Present Time...**_

"You know, Swan. I really thought that there would be nothing more pathetic than a guy with a girlfriend still living with his mom. But that Sean guy chose to live with his dad while having a _pregnant_ girlfriend? That's beyond pathetic." said Ris, as her and Emma walked to that Sean Herman's house. Ruby had filled them in what they needed to know about Ashley Boyd. She had a stepmom, two stepsisters she doesn't talk to and a pathetic ex boyfriend who lived with his dad in a big ass house like a spoiled brat. Henry's theory was that the maid was Cinderella. Ris had to admit that it was a huge coincidence, she could see Henry's point.

"Let's not jump into conclusions just yet. Let's wait and see his reaction when he finds out about Ashley." said Emma and knocked on the door. A young blonde man opened it almost immediately.

"Can I help you?" asked the man.

"Sean Herman?" asked Emma.

"Yeah. Who are you two?"

"I'm Emma Swan, that's Clarissa Silver. We're... We're looking for Ashley Boyd." said Emma.

"Yeah, you know, your pregnant girlfriend who you totally abandoned while your spoiled ass was getting even more spoiled." said Ris.

"You do not talk to my son like that." said a voice from behind Ris. It was an older man, Sean's father.

"Stay out of this old man. We're trying to talk here." said Ris, raising her voice.

"My son doesn't have anything to do with that girl anymore. So, whatever trouble she's in, we can't help you."

"Can't or won't? Because there is a huge difference." said Ris.

"You're the reason he broke up with her." realized Emma.

"Absoloutely. I'm not going to let my son throw away his entire life over a mistake." said Sean's father angrily.

"Since when is getting laid a mistake? I bet you haven't gotten laid in ages..." started Ris.

"So you just told him to leave her?" asked Emma.

"Well, what are they going to do? Raise the child in the backseat of a car?" asked Sean's dad, rhetorically.

"Some people only have the backseat of a car." said Emma.

"Well, they're to be pitied. I'm not letting that happen to my son."

"So you're just gonna ignore the fact that your son has knocked up a woman? You'll just keep spoiling him until he's like those unbearable kids from the _"Chocolate Factory"_? " said Ris and then turned to Sean. "Sean, if you still care for Ashley, come and help us find her."

"Stop letting other people make decisions for you. If Ashley runs away with this baby, she's going to be in some serious trouble." said Emma.

"She's running away with the baby?" asked Sean.

"Yes." replied Emma.

"Sean. Inside. Now." said Sean's father.

"Coward..." muttered Ris, when Sean got inside like a obedient lap dog.

"Look. Believe me, if I knew where she was, I would tell you. I went to a lot of trouble to get her that deal." said Sean's father.

"Deal? What deal?" asked Emma.

"You don't know? Ashley agreed to give up the child. And she's being paid very well to do so."

Realization made its way on Ris's face. Gold's secrecy made total sense now.

"Swan, that's why Mr Gold didn't want to tell us what Ashley took from him. That's why he didn't go to the police." said Ris, putting two and two together.

"Well, isn't that why you two were hired? To bring him the baby?" asked Sean's father, with a confounded look.

"She sold her baby to Gold..." said Emma. She grabbed Ris's arm and dragged her to the bug without saying a word.

"Where are we going now?" asked Ris.

"Ruby has some explaining to do." said Emma and got in the car. Ris quickly got in the passengr's seat and buckled up.

"You can't make her double cross Gold. No one's ever broken a deal with him." said Henry, who they had left inside the car as they questioned Sean.

"That, Henry, was before _we_ came along." said Ris.

"If Ashley wants to have this baby, she should have it. Anyone who wants to be a mother, should damn well be allowed to be one." said Emma, with a determined expression. Ris had never seen her friend so determined to do something. A proud smirk made its way on her lips, as did on Henry's.

* * *

The three of them got to Granny's to question Ruby. Emma walked in the diner first, with a step that revealed that she was mad.

"Why didn't you tell us she sold the baby?" asked Emma when she saw Ruby behind the booth.

"Yeah, we almost made a fool out of ourselves back at that idiot's house." said Ris, not as gently as Emma.

"I didn't think it was important." said Ruby, carelessly.

"How is that not important? She's freaking running away with the baby!" said Ris.

"Look, Ashley's my friend. I don't like the idea of people judging her." said Ruby, and moved to serve a custumer.

"Forget this Swan. We need to get to Gold and talk some sense into his thick head." said Ris.

"Ashley and the baby are our first priority." said Emma.

"We need to find her now! If she tries to leave Storybrooke, bad things will happen." said Henry.

"Alright. Let's keep..." started Emma, but stopped when she noticed something. It was Ruby's "wolf thing", the one she had in her car.

"Were's Ruby's car?" asked Ris.

"Ruby, where's your car?" asked Emma, furiously. Ruby didn't answer.

"You didn't send us to Sean to find her. You sent us there to give her a head start." said Emma, even more furious.

"What the hell Ruby? We are just trying to help her." said Ris.

"So am I." said Ruby.

"She can't deal with that jackass Gold without our help. So where is she going?"

Ruby crossed her arms and considered telling them the truth.

"I can't talk in front of him. He's the Mayor's kid." said Ruby, looking at Henry.

"Hey! I'm on your side." said Henry, not wanting to feel left out.

"Henry, we need to find this woman. And in order to do that, we need you to go home, okay? So please listen to me. Seriously. She's not going to tell us anything if you're around." said Emma, hoping that Henry would listen. They needed to find Ashley no matter what.

"Okay." agreed Henry, although he wasn't going home at all.

"Thank you." said Emma.

"Talk." said Ris when Henry left the diner.

"She left town. Said she was going to try Boston. Thought she could disappear there." said Ruby.

"Seriously? I just came back from Boston." whined Ris. "When did she leave?"

"About half an hour ago."replied Ruby.

"We're on it, let's go." said Emma, walking out with Ris by her side.

They quickly got in the car once again and buckled up for their journey to Boston.

"How far you think she has gotten by now?" asked Ris.

"I have no idea. But it's a four hour drive. We'll catch up if I speed up a little." said Emma.

"We're going to Boston?" asked Henry from the backseat of the bug. Emma looked at her son, surprised.

"I knew you'd be here..." said Ris.

"Henry! What the hell? We're going to Boston, you can't come with us." said Emma.

"You can't go to Boston! She can't leave. Bad things happen to anyone who does." said Henry.

"I have to disagree with you Henry. I went to Boston yesterday and I returned today. Nothing happened." said Ris.

"You weren't part of the curse. But Ashley is."

"I'm getting you home right now." said Emma.

"We have to stop her before she gets hurt! We're wasting time! If you drop me off, we'll never catch up to her."

"He's right Swan. No more time should be wasted. The more time we argue, the more satisfaction Gold will get when he calls the cops." said Ris.

Emma sighed in frustration, but she soon sped up.

"What has she gotten herself into?" muttered Emma about Ashley.

* * *

They soon got to the edge of the town. That was where Henry spotted Ruby's red car. The three of them quickly got out of the bug and ran towards it. Ashley wasn't in there, but they soon heard her screaming. Afraid that something bad had happened to her, they took off running to where Ashley's screams were coming from. She was sitting on the grass, crying her eyes out.

"That's her, right?" asked Ris.

"Yeah. Ashley! What's going on?" asked Emma.

"The baby... It's coming..." said Ashley.

Emma and Ris moved her to their own car, on the backseat next to Henry. Ashley kept screaming during the entire drive to the hospital.

"Is the baby really coming?" asked Henry.

"Oh yeah." said Emma.

"And it couldn't pick any worse timing." commented Ris. "Thank God you didn't get that far and we can get fastly to the hospital. What were you thinking?" said Ris to Ashley.

"No! No, no, no. Take me to Boston. I can't go back there." said Ashley.

"Are you kidding me? You want to risk giving birth at the backseat of a car? Are you a natural blonde?" asked Ris.

"Hey!" said Emma.

"Sorry... We don't have four hours. And with the traffic I saw this morning, I'd say we don't have _eight_ hours. So sit back and quit whining."

"I can't go back there. Please. He's going to take my baby." said Ashley.

"If that jackass goes anywhwere near it, I'll freaking beat him up with his cane. And I'll enjoy it."

"If you keep this child, are you really ready?" asked Emma out of the blue.

"Yeah." replied Ashley.

"Are you sure? Because I wasn't."

"You weren't?"

"Nope. If you want to give this kid its best chance, it's going to be with someone who's ready, so know what that means. Your whole life is going to change and once you decide that it's yours, this 'running away' can't happen. You have to grow up and you can't ever leave. Understand?" said Emma, taking into account her experience with Henry.

"Yes. I want my baby." said Ashley.

Emma turned her eyes back on the road, wishing that she could've said the same thing eleven years ago...

* * *

They were at the hospital in no time. Ashley gave birth to a girl and she couldn't be happier. There was only one problem. Gold. He had came to the hospital to collect.

"What do we do about Gold?" asked Emma.

"I say we get back to the part where I beat him with his cane." said Ris.

"Violence can't solve everything, it will only get you arrested again. And I'm sure Graham wouldn't mind putting chains on your wrists again."

"I got a kinky vibe from that statement... Anyways, let me deal with him. I can handle Gold."

"There's no way you're doing it alone. You yourself said that man scares you."

"Oh, that he does. He is actually the first one to accomplish that. And I can't have it."

" _We_ can't have it. I know what Ashley is going through, I've been there. I need to help her make the decision I didn't make ten years ago." said Emma. Ris considered this.

"Okay. But if he's not cooperative, we'll return to the cane part."

"Deal."

Ris and Emma turned to Mr Gold. He was pouring himself some coffe. Ris gathered some courage and summed up in her mind what she was going to say. After a while of consideration, her and Emma approached Gold confidently.

"Miss Silver, Miss Swan. Is something the matter?" asked Gold, clearly not too glad about their presence.

"Yeah. _You_ are the matter." said Ris and crossed her arms.

"Because I'm standing in the way of a coffe machine?"

"Don't be a smartass, you know what I'm talking about. Ashley stole the contract that sold her baby to you. Why didn't you tell me when I asked you?"

"It wasn't important at the time."

"It wasn't important that she was selling away her baby to you, of all people?" said Emma.

"See, that's why the job was only meant for you, Miss Swan. You would understand Ashley's reasons of giving up a baby, as you did it with Henry."

"You're not getting that kid." said Emma.

"Actually, we have an agreement. My agreements are always honoured." said Gold.

"So we've heard." said Ris.

"If not, I'm going to have to involve the police and that baby is going to end up in the system. And that would be a pity. You didn't enjoy your time in the system, did you, Emma? Or you, Clarissa, at the orphanage? If I remember correctly, you stayed there for... ten years?" said Gold.

"Is that why you were asking me questions when I was working at your shop? To use my answers against me? Guess what old man. If you lay a hand on that kid, I'll grab your cane and I'll shove it..." started Ris. Gold let out a small laugh, stopping her from completing her threat.

"I like your confidence. I really do, Clarissa."

"We're on a first name basis now?" asked Ris.

"All I have to do, is press charges. She did, after all, break into my shop." said Gold, ignoring Ris's question.

"Let me guess. To steal a contract." said Emma.

"Who knows what she was after?"

"You know no jury in the world will put a woman in jail, whose only reason for breaking and entering was to keep her child. I'm willing to roll the dice that contract doesn't stand up." said Emma.

"Not to mention what might come out about you in the process. Somehow, I suspect, there is more to you than a simple pawn broker. And I'm sure it is something more complicated than inventing a giant machine to take over the universe." said Ris.

Gold glared at the two women, especially at Clarissa. He didn't know how to reply. No matter what, he'd rather have both of them, especially Clarissa, on his side. There was more about that girl than a simple former Enchanted Forest inhabitant. He would find out no matter what.

"I like you, Miss Silver, Miss Swan. You're not afraid of me, and that's either cocky or presumptuous. Either way, I'd rather have you both on my side."

"Wise move. And the baby?" said Ris.

"Well, there's still the matter of my agreement with Miss Boyd." said Gold.

"Tear it up." said Emma.

"That's not what I do. You see, contracts, deals, well, they're the very foundation of all civilized existence. So, I put it to you now. If you want Ashley to have that baby, are you two willing to make a deal with me?"

"If you want me to work at your shop again..." started Ris.

"No, that won't be necessary. It'll be more... complicated."

"Will be?"

"I haven't decided what I want in return just yet. Let's just say that you two, will owe me a favor."

"Deal." said Emma and looked at Ris.

"Fine. A favor it is. As long as you won't make me put on a ridiculous outfit to promote the pawn shop... I'm in." said Ris.

 **A/N: Wow! Did I just finish one episode in one chapter? Yup! I did. I admit, that's not exactly my favorite episode ever. So I kind of wanted to get it out of the way. Originally, Ris was going to make the deal with Gold herself, but then I rewatched the scene, and I realized that it took part in Emma's development, not to mention what happens next, and I didn't want to cut it out, I really love Emma. Thank you 06bromleys, Blacklab369, Guest and SwingingOnAStar for reviewing!:-) Thanks for the favorites/follows!**

 **Also, the flashbacks of the Enchanted Forest will make sense in the future. Her age will as well. And as for the love interest I talked about last chapter, there will be one in the near future. It's not too far.;-) Please review!:-)**


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

"She really got the deputy job?" asked Ruby, as she served Ris her humburger.

"Yup. Swan's working for the town with Graham now. I'll be patiently waiting for those two to hook up." said Ris and she practically attacked her lunch.

"So he _does_ have a thing for her." said Ruby, disappointed.

"Yeah. I saw it from a mile away. But don't worry. There must be more avaiable hubbies in this town."

"Debatable. Although this Jon Doe guy seems really cute. What was his name again?"

"David Nolan and no. He's kind of unavaiable. What about Dr Whale? He surely does have a thing for you..."

"No. Changing subject. How's living with Mary Margaret?"

"It's okay. Mary Margaret is a dear. Not to mention that she often leaves the house to visit David at the hospital and I can have it all to myself. Seriously, it has to be the biggest house I've ever lived in."

"Bigger than your dorm in London?"

"No, but try having about fifteen idiotic roomates ruining your peace and quiet with their boy drama every five seconds."

"I couldn't do that even if I wanted to. I always wanted to move to Boston and get out of this town, but something always gets in the way of that..."

"Well, you should know that bad things happen if someone tries to leave Storybrooke..." said Ris, remembering of Henry's book crap with a small laugh.

"Excuse me?" said Ruby, confused.

"Ruby! Quit talking to the custumers and get back to work!" said Granny from the kitchen.

"Does that woman have eyes everywhere?" asked Ruby, frustrated at her Granny's demands.

"Nope. That would be Regina... And Gold." said Ris and looked at her watch. "Hey, would you look at the time! I have a session with Archie in about ten minuites." she said and hurried up with eating her humburger.

"Why do you have a session with Archie?" asked Ruby.

"Swan's making me. It's to cut down my smoking. It's not really working, but if I'm to be around her son, I need to take care of that habit. Not to mention that the big bad mayor would flip if I smoked around Henry." said Ris between her bites. When she put her empty plate on the booth, she grabbed her bike keys and jacket and she hurried out after leaving the money for Ruby.

"You can keep the change." she said before she closed the door.

She quickly got on her bike, turned the keys and headed to Archie's office. Her session was after Henry's, so maybe he would like to hang out after she was finished, talk about "Operation Cobra". Regina was off to some work anyways. Archie was supposed to babysit Henry, but since she was avaiable and had nothing better to do... Not to mention that Henry had found out more about her supposed backstory. She was really curious to know what else theory Henry had about her.

After she locked her bike outside the building, she got inside and marched into Archie's office without knocking. Archie and Henry turned their heads towards her direction, and while Archie did not look happy for the interruption, Henry grinned as soon as he saw her.

"Hey Ris." he said.

"Miss Silver, you are interrupting my session with Henry. This is highly inappropreate..." started Archie.

"I was bored outside. Besides, I won't bother you. I'll just sit here..." she said and dropped herself on Archie's desk chair. "... and I'll wait patiently for my turn." she continued with a sweet fake smile.

Archie didn't looked pleased, but he knew that arguing with her would be useless. So he turned back to Henry and resumed to their latest discussion.

"So, Henry. Why is it so important to you that this is real?" asked Archie. Ris knew that Archie was talking about the curse. Honestly, she would like to know that as well.

"It... It just is." said Henry. Not a very specific answer for Archie.

"Alright. Well, keep thinking about that answer, Henry. Cause I think there's something buried there." said Archie. He then looked at Ris, silently telling her that it was her turn. She got off the chair, but as soon as her feet touched the carptet, the room started to shake. Lightly at first, but then it became a real earthquake.

"Holy fucking crap!" yelled Ris as she searched for something to hold on to. Henry ran towards her, being afraid as well.

"Henry, under the desk! You too Miss Silver!" said Archie. Ris didn't need to be told twice. She was deadly scared of earthquakes, she had more that one embarassing stories from her time in London everytime an earthquake happened.

Henry and Ris got under the desk when Archie found somewhere else to hide.

"What is happening?" asked Henry.

"I'm pretty sure that's an earthquake, champ." said Ris, her panick totally obvious.

"That's the first time that's happening to Storybrooke. It must be the curse weakening!" said Henry with excitement.

"Henry, we might die right now, so I don't think it's time for your book talking." said Ris, the panick slightly leaving her voice as the earthquake died down. She let out a breath of relief and she dropped Henry's hand, that she had just realized she was gripping. A little bit too hard.

"Whoops. Sorry champ. I hope I didn't break any of your bones..." she said. Henry ignored her and he grabbed her own hand dragging her from under the desk.

"Archie?" called Henry.

"I'm here." said Archie, coming out of another room. "Are you two okay?" he asked, looking between Ris and Henry.

"Debatable..." said Ris. "What the freaking hell was that?" asked Ris and got to the window. Every car in Storybrooke was heading towards the same direction. It must've been the heart of the earthquake.

"Hey, Archie. Where do you think these guys are going?" asked Ris. Archie got to the window next to Ris to see what she was talking about.

"They are heading to the mines..." said Archie.

"The mines?" asked Ris.

"They must have collapsed!" said Henry. His voice was somewhat cheerful, like he was happy about that destruction. "I told you the curse is weakening!"

"Henry, come with me. Let's go check it out. I'll find your mother." said Archie.

"Thanks for inviting me..." said Ris and she went to her bike to see the collapsed mines as well.

* * *

 _ **The Enchanted Forest**_

 _ **A Long Time Ago...**_

Clarissa was having a mental battle with herself. She was still stuck inside that tent with that guard, Yao, standing outside, waiting for her to try and escape. But how could she? The man was twice her size and even more. What she needed was help. Magical help. And only one person she knew could use magic. But he hadn't showed up yet. The one time she needed him, he was leaving her on her own. But she did have a plan.

Only that there were two different sides in her head. And those sides were having a battle. There was a part of her, her usual part, that urged her to do as she had planned.

She knew what she needed in order to escape. A big fuzz. But those soldiers were in trainning. The biggest fuzz that could possibly happen would be a food fight. That wouldn't be enough. She needed something big. Something that would cause every soldier to draw their attention away from her. A woman dressed like a man while lying to everyone would do. She needed to spread the rumor, so that everyone would question "Ping" and not her. That distraction could be enough for her to take back her map, maybe some food and get out of there before anyone noticed.

But as she well knew, not only magic came with a price. Every evil action and every bad deed had a price. If she did as planned, her price would be guilt. She had never really felt guilty in her life. Every bad action she had ever commited was directed towards someone that she would like to think deserved it. But Mulan didn't deserve this. She helped her when anyone else would've just killed her. But she wasn't protecting herself only. She was protecting her brother as well. The only person she cared about before she got back to the Enchanted Forest. He was patiently waiting for her back in that place. Having faith that she would succeed and they could finally have their freedom. She didn't want to let him doen, but Mulan had saved her life...

She needed some air. Some no-tent air. She pushed aside the fabric of her tent and walked out. Yao grabbed her arm before she could go any further.

"Where do you think you are going?" he asked her, angrily. Clarissa yanked her arm away and glared at Yao.

"For water." she replied.

"Water's only for guests. Not thieves and scums." he said, as if it was obvious. Clarissa rolled her eyes and leaned on Yao's ear.

"Nature calling." she whispered. Yao looked at her with a confused look, but then it turned into realization and then disgust.

"Just... Be back fast." he said.

"I'm intending to." she said and walked away fast. Only that she didn't go behind a tree. She headed straight to the trainning grounds. Where everyone was cheering for something.

Every soldier was gathered around a tall climbing stick. She had heard Yao talking to someone about it. How no one could climb all the way to the top without falling. Everyone thought it was impossible. But it appeared they were wrong. Clarissa looked up to where everyone was staring. There was someone on the top of the stick, grinning in excitement, and not in arrogance for being the first to make it to the top. The soldier who had made it was no other than Mulan. All she could hear around her was laughter and cheering for "Ping".

That was making Clarissa's choice even harder. Mulan did not deserve what she had originally planned for her. All the female warrior was doing was trying to prove that she was worth being in the position she was in as a soldier in trainning...

"Amazing. Isn't it?" asked a voice that belonged to a person she had just noticed was standing beside her. She jumped in surprise before she saw it was just another soldier.

"I thought there were specific orders of not talking to me." said Clarissa, coldly. The soldier beside her laughed in amusement.

"Relax. unlike every other in this camp I think you are innocent." said the soldier. Clarissa looked up in surprise.

"And why is that?" she asked, curiously.

"I'm good with reading people. My name's Chien Po." said the soldier, Chien Po, as he extended his hand for her to shake. She didn't grab it immediately, being suspicious of why would he want to speak with her, but she did, eventually.

"And why don't you say so to your co-soldiers. Your "people reading" gift is absoloutely useless if you don't show it off." said Clarissa, rudely.

" When you are in an army full of muscles and arrogance, brains do not really get much credit." said Chien Po.

"Then tell me, Chien Po, how did you end up here? If you say that all you have is brains, what are you doing in a place full of idiots that lack it?" asked Clarissa.

"Same thing she's doing." he said, pointing at Mulan, who was climbing down from the stick.

"She? You mean..."

"Yes, I know all about "Ping"." said Chien Po, proudly.

"Have you ever thought of telling anyone? If you exposed her, you could be the hero of the camp." said Clarissa, indirectly asking for advice for her own situation.

"I'm not that selfish, Clarissa. This girl is simply trying to save her father from getting hurt. Why would I do something so horrible to someone that has such noble motives." he said. Clarissa raised her eyebrows at Chien Po's statement.

"Her father? How in hell could you possibly gather that?" she asked.

"Her armor. It is her father's. I know for a fact that he is not dead or too old to fight. And he doesn't have a son to take his place. Why else would she come to war if it wasn't to protect him?" he said.

Clarissa looked back at Mulan, who was still being cheered at by the other soldiers. Even _she_ looked surprised with herself. About how she managed to climb up the stick after weeks of trying and failing.

Clarissa would find another way out of that place. She could do it without magic and without doing something she would regret the moment she did it.

"Hey, prisoner! That's enough nature for one day, don't you think?" said Yao from her tent.

"You better go Clarissa. It was nice to finally talk to you." said Chien Po, kindly.

"Yeah... You too." said Clarissa and she walked back to a very impatient Yao.

* * *

 _ **Storybrooke**_

 _ **Present Time...**_

Ris got at the place of the destruction at the same time as Archie with Henry. She quickly got off her motorcycle and walked towards them.

"What's going on?" she asked.

"My mom is making a speech." replied Henry.

"I meant what interesting is going on." said Ris, not in the mood to listen to whatever the big bad mayor had to say.

"Let's go take a look." said Archie. The three of them walked to the "crime scene" to see Regina trying to calm everyone down.

"We've always known this area was honeycombed with old mining tunnels. But fear not. I'm going to undertake a project to make this area safe, to rehabilitate it into city use. We will bulldoze it, collapse it, pave it." said Regina to the crowd. Henry suddenly disappeared from Ris's side and emerged from the crowd, running towards his mother.

"Pave it? What if there's something down there?" said Henry. Ris followed Henry's exapmle and went in front of the rest of the crowd.

"Your heart for example. Maybe you should have someone dig down there before you do as you said." she said. Regina only glared at her, since she was preoccupied with Henry.

"Henry. What are you doing here?" she asked.

"Ris is right, we need to know what's down there!" said Henry.

"There is nothing down there. Now step back. In fact, everyone! Please, please step back. Thank you." said Regina, and everyone obeyed like her dogs. Ris rolled her eyes in frustration and she walked towards Emma, who she just saw a little further.

"Hey Swan. Enjoying the budge?" asked Ris.

"Actually, yeah I do. Especially the part when Graham told Regina that I was the new deputy." said Emma with a grin.

"I wish I would've been there to see her face. I bet it was priceless." said Ris with the same smile.

"How was your session with Archie?"

"We didn't have time to even start. The earthquake happened and I flipped out. I also think I broke a few bones from Henry's hand..."

"You did what?"

"Relax Swan. He's fine."

"The last time an earthquake happened in Boston, you marched inside my appartment and you dragged me to the building's garage to sleep in my car. I can't begin to imagine what you did to Henry and Archie." said Emma and walked to Henry, who was talking to his mom. Before she could even greet him, Regina walked in front of her.

"Deputy Swan, why don't you do your job and cord off the area with the Sheriff?" said Regina with a demanding tone. Emma tried not to look displeased and ruin her previous satisfaction when Graham told Regina about her being deputy. So she walked to Graham and did as she was told.

Before Ris left to walk over to Archie, she noticed Regina reaching for something on the ground. She took it and put it in her pocket.

"Found your heart, Gina? I knew it was small, but can it really fit in your pocket?" asked Ris.

"What was that?" asked Henry.

"Henry, enough. Go wait in the car." said Regina. Henry didn't insist and he did as he was told. Ris walked to Archie, already tired of dealing with the big bad mayor.

"So. That's a pretty big fuzz, huh?" siad Ris.

"In a town like Storybrooke, this is a _huge_ fuzz." replied Archie.

"I take it that nothing intresting ever happens here."

"This is not interesting. It's dangerous. That's why I'm heading home. I suggest you do too before anything worse happens." he adviced and headed to his car.

"Hey, Archie! Ris!" whispered/yelled Henry. "Over here!" he said, looking at Emma as well. The three of them walked curiously towards Henry.

"What is it, champ?" asked Ris when they all gathered at the police car.

"This requires all of Operation Cobra. All three of you." said Henry.

"I didn't realize I was in Operation Cobra." said Archie.

"Of course you are. You know everything. We can't let her do this. What if there's something down there?" said Henry.

"Does that have to do with what Regina gathered from the ground a while ago?" asked Ris.

"Yes. I'm sure that she wants to hide it from us. Because she's suspecting us about Operation Cobra."

"They're just some old tunnels." said Emma.

"That just happen to collapse right after you get here? You're changing things. You're weakening the curse. I told Ris and she agreed with me." said Henry.

"Hey, hey, kid. I never said that. Specifically, when you told that to me I said that we were gonna die." said Ris, raising her hands in surrender when she received some looks from Emma and Archie.

"But you didn't disagree." he said and turned to Emma. "Did you do anything different today? Cause something made this happen."

For an instance, there was a weird look on Emma's face as she touched the budge Graham gave her. Ris's face turned into realization as well, but she chose to ignore that. It was a mere coincidence.

"Henry, I told you to wait in the car." said Regina as she walked to them. Ris groaned at Regina's presence. Couldn't she just take a break?  
"Deputy. Do your job." demanded Regina. Emma and Henry walked to different directions while Ris was about to leave with Archie.

"Dr Hopper. A word please." said Regina and Archie stopped at his tracks. "In private." added Regina, looking at Ris.

"Whatever. See ya tommorow Archie. Gina." said Ris and headed to her bike. Before she got on it, she took out her phone and dialed Mary Margaret's number.

"Hello?" said Mary Margaret when she picked up.

"Hey roomie. Are you home?" asked Ris.

"No, I'm at the hospital. Why?"

"Would you mind me coming by to get the keys. Considering you might want to spend the night..."

"Of course. I'll be in David's room." said Mary Margaret and hung up. She certainly was in a rush. Ris had noticed the dreamy smile on the teacher's face every time she mentioned David. It was cute. Really. She looked like a high school student that had a crush on the school's star football player. But David was a married man. And Mary Margaret shouldn't have feelings for someone unavaiable. It wasn't because it would be wrong to. She should end these feelings for herself. She would only get hurt if that continued. Ris didn't know why she cared about Mary Margaret's love life, but since she did, she wanted to give the right advice to her new friend. Tonight, she would be Jimini Cricket instead of Archie.

 **A/N: I'm sorry for the lack of updates. I was on vacation, where I got sunburnt and my nose turned red and my sister was calling me Rudolf... But I'm back and ready to continue my fanfic! I kinda missed our crazy girl Ris...**

 **Thank you for the favorites/follows and thank you xXJune-BugXx, SwingingOnAStar, Blacklab369, XxLostDreamerxX, Lolo314, Guest, Lilian and kenfromnhus for reviewing!**

 **That's pretty much it, please review and tell me what you think!:-)**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Should I put a warning for some violence in this chap? Whoops. I already did! Enjoy!:-)**

 **Chapter 12**

Ris was enjoying a good smoke outside Mary Margaret's appartment. She hadn't smoked at all in two days, that was progress. But she had missed yesterday's session with Archie and that got her off schedule. And she really wanted to smoke. Especially after she had that talk with Mary Margaret last night when she went over at the hospital.

Apparenly, Mary Margaret had found her prince Charming in David. Which would've been fine if it wasn't for David's wife, Katherine. Ris was no fan of that woman. Her husband had been in a comma for years and she hadn't noticed until last week? And what was it with her trying to win him back after all this time? Maybe the man wanted to move on. He had memory loss for God's sake.

Mary Margaret had asked Ris if she thought she was the worst person in the world. Honestly, Mary Margaret hadn't commited any crime. It wasn't her fault that she developed feelings for David, it was kind of expected after all, with all of Henry's book crap about him being prince Charming. But that answer wasn't good enough for Mary Margaret, especially when Ris told her that she should tap that. Mary Margaret didn't really know what that meant, but coming from Ris's mouth, she knew that it didn't mean playing a nice game of chess.

"Ris!" she heard Henry calling her from the other side of the street. Ris quickly threw her cigarette in the garbage bin after extinguishing the flame. Swan had somewhat influenced her with her motherly instincts and she wouldn't smoke in front of the kid.

"Hey champ. How's it..." she started, but Henry surprised her by wrapping his arms around her and hugging her tightly, not caring about the smell of smoke that still hadn't floated away. She felt a few tears on her shirt, and they were not because he was too happy to see her. Ris tapped Henry's head akwardly, she hadn't comforted a crying kid before.

"Uh... What's wrong champ? Did your mom do anything?" she asked and made Henry pull away. The crying kid looked at her with his tear soaked eyes, but he wasn't able to speak. He only shook his head.

"How about we go upstairs and you calm down a little?" asked Ris. Henry rubbed his eyes to get the tears away and he nodded. Ris placed her hand on his back and guided them upstairs.

Henry knocked on the door and Emma opened a few seconds later.

"Kid? What happened?" asked Emma, concerned. Emma looked at Ris.

"What did you tell him?" she asked, as if it was obvious that she did something. Ris raised her hands in surrender.

"Don't be so quick to make up conclusions, Swan. It was probably the big bad mayor." she said.

"Come in." said Emma and guided them inside. She sat on the couch and Henry chose to sit next to her while Mary Margaret and Ris sat together on the other couch.

"What happened?" asked Emma again.

"It's Archie..." said Henry, after his cries died down a little.

"What did that stupid shrink do? Will I have to beat him up?" asked Ris.

"He thinks I'm crazy." said Henry.

"Kid, I'm sure that's not true. He's in Operation Cobra." said Emma.

"He told me that Operation Cobra is a delusion and that I can't tell the difference between delusion and reality." said Henry, a few tears filling his eyes again.

"That doesn't sound right, Archie would never hurt Henry like that, I know him." said Mary Margaret.

"No, but I know someone who would." said Ris.

"The only one that doesn't benefit from Henry's theory." said Emma and she got off the couch.

"Where are you going?" asked Mary Margaret.

"To kill a cricket." said Emma while putting on her red jacket.

"Hey, there will be no killing without me, Swan." said Ris and ran behind her friend. Archie had a lot to hear from them.

* * *

"Archie!" yelled Emma while knocking hard on Archie's door.

"Open up you damn cricket!" yelled Ris, knocking even harder.

"You think he's in there?" whispered Emma.

"Of course he is. He's just too coward to face us after what he did." whispered Ris. "Alright, shrink. We're coming in!" yelled Ris and knocked the door open. Archie didn't even aknowledge them. He just kept drinking from his glass with his dog, Pongo sitting next to him. Ris got mad and she grabbed the glass from his hand and downed the rest of the drink by herself.

"Miss Silver! This is highly inappropreate..."

"To hell with the drink. Explain yourself." demanded Emma. "You told me not to take his fantasy away, that it would devastate him!"

"Of course, if therapy stops working, you adjust it." said Archie.

"I think I see the big bad mayor's signature all over his face. If you look closely, you'll see it." said Ris.

"Did she threaten you, what could be strong enough to drown out your own conscious?" asked Emma.

"I don't need to defend my proffesional decisions to you, okay?" said Archie.

"Okay? I'll show you okay." said Ris, and grabbed Archie's umbrella from its place next to the couch and pointed it at him. "Next session you have with Henry, you'll tell him that all these bullshit came from a very bad hangover and many years without getting laid. Understood?" she said. Archie rolled his eyes and took the umbrella back.

"I'm not getting intimidated in my job. Now please, Miss Silver, get out!" said Archie, pointing at the door.

"Oh, but you do get intimidated by Gina? What did she tell you exactly? That she'll leave you with nothing other than your umbrella if you don't do as she says?" said Ris, ignoring Archie's request that she leaves.

"Archie, whatever that woman has told you is not worth ruinning Henry's life. So please..." started Emma, but her phone ringing stopped her.

"It's Regina." said Emma to Ris only.

"This should be fun..." commented Ris and she stuck her ear on the other side of the phone so that she could listen as well.

"Hello, Madam Mayor. Nice work." said Emma when she picked up.

"You with him?" asked Regina from the other line.

"Yes, I'm with Dr. Hopper and guess what? You left your fingerprints all over him when you tried..."

"Not him. Henry. Are you with him?"

"Ris and I dropped Henry by your office an hour ago."

"Well he's not here."

"I don't know where he is..." said Emma.

"That kid... Where could he possibly go?" asked Ris, pulling away from the phone.

"I know where he went..." said Archie.

* * *

 _ **The Enchanted Forest**_

 _ **A Long Time Ago...**_

Mulan walked to Clarissa's tent, trying to make her step look manly. Her walking would be the last thing her co-soldiers would notice after her climb up the stick, that was all everyone would talk about, but it's better to be safe than sorry. She had a feeling that this Chien Po guy already knew about her. Hopefully Clarissa hadn't told anyone...

"Hey there Ping. How does victory feel like?" asked Yao when Mulan got to the tent carrying some food for the prisoner.

"It feels good my friend. May I eneter? I have food for the prisoner." said Mulan.

"About the prisoner, when is it going to be the time of her questioning? I'm sick of being her guard dog." said Yao, somewhat angrily.

"All in good time. Now let me enter and do not let anyone else come inside." she said. Yao stepped aside and Mulan entered the tent. Clarissa was knelt on the ground and she was doing something at the back of the tent.

"What are you doing?"asked Mulan. Clarissa jumped in surprise. She hid her hands behind her back and got up with a fake innocent smile.

"Absoloutely nothing." she replied.

"What are you hiding there?" asked Mulan.

"What are you talking ab..." started Clarissa, but Mulan grabbed both her arms and pulled them in front of her. Clarissa had a small piece of glass in her hand. Mulan looked over at the girl's previous spot on the ground. The tent was slightly ripped, but it looked like someone was cutting it for hours. Mulan looked at the prisoner as if she was about to kill her.

"To be fair, this is _my_ tent. I get to do what I want with it." said Clarissa.

"I'll have a guard at every side of your tent. There will be no escaping this camp for you." said Mulan and she left the tent after she let clarissa's food on her bed.

"You wouldn't have to if you could just let me go!" yelled Clarissa, but only Yao heard her from outside the tent.

A while later, she had another visitor. It was no other that Chien Po. He had a kind smile and Clarissa felt relieved that at least one person liked her in that camp.

"How are you doing?" asked Chien Po.

" 'Ping' is having more guards standing outside my tent. What do you think?" said Clarissa.

"I think you were right." whispered Chien Po, making sure that Yao wouldn't listen.

"About what?" asked Clarissa, whispering as well.

"I think I should put my brains to use. I'm getting you out of here." he said and reached at the belt of his armor. He took out a small hunting knife and handed it to her. "This is sharper than the pice of glass you got there. Mulan has put me guard at that side of the tent." he said and pointed to the left. "I have your map, I'll give you some food and you can have my horse to get away as fast as you can." he said hurriedly.

"Wait, what? Your horse? No way. I'm getting Yao's horse. Serves him right for being such an ass." said Clarissa.

"No. Not Yao's. If his horse goes missing he'll come after you. It won't be pretty."

"How do I know which one is yours?"

"I've left it a few miles away. You'll know. I'll get out now. I'll see you in a few..."

"HUNS!" yelled someone from outside the tent, interrupting Chien Po.

"I thought Huns do not attack here..." said Clarissa.

"I thought so too." said Chien Po. Three seconds later, Chien Po and Clarissa could hear the Huns yelling and the soldiers begging for mercy. Those savages sounded like the ogres...

"My time here is getting better and better. Week one, I almost get eaten by an ogre. Week two, I'll get eaten by the closest thing to them." said Clarissa.

"Huns are not cannibals."

"I thought so too about myself. I almost ate my brother from hunger once." said Clarissa, and she grabbed the knife Chien Po gave her. She headed to the ripped side of the tent and she started stabbing it with force.

"What are you doing? You are going to head straight to the battlefield!" yelled Chien Po and he forced her away.

"Everywhere is a battlefield! We need to go before..." she started, but stopped when someone cut the fabric of the tent with a huge sword and marched inside, straight in front of Chien Po. It was one of them... The Huns. He was huge. He had a murdering look. Although Chien Po said that they didn't eat humans, Clarissa was sure that the savage was thinking which way he would serve her to his plate.

Chien Po pushed Clarissa behind him to protect her. The savage raides his sword at the same time Chien Po raised his. The Hun brought it down with force, but thankfully, Chien Po was strong enough to prevent it from slicing his head in two. The swords slashed together, but the savage kept trying to bring his sword down to decapitate Chien Po. Clarissa got scared for her friend. He was the only one that belived her and the only one to actually offer her help. She couldn't let him die. She gripped the hunting knife strongly and she emerged from behind Chien Po, taking fast steps towards the Hun. She raised her knife and brought it down on his leg. He was preoccupied with trying to rip Chien Po's head off, so he didn't notice her. But even when the knife ripped his skin, he still wouldn't aknowledge any pain. But unfortunately, her failed attmpt of giving Chien Po a head start did not go unnoticed. The Hun gave up on fighting her friend by breaking off the sword fight and punching him in the face so hard that he fell on the ground. Next thing Clarissa knew, was that she was lifted from the ground by her throat. The savage was choking her. She tried her best to breath, but the grip on her throat was too strong. So she tried to get him to release her by scratching his hand with her fingernails. But if the hunting knofe on his leg had no effect on him, how would that accomplish anything? She was starting to feel dizzy anyways. Her vision was starting to blur. She knew death was coming.

She atleast hoped that _he_ was satisfied. If that was what he wanted then good for him. Maybe he would let her brother go if she died... But that never came. Chien Po attacked the savage from behind by stabbing his armor, hoping that he could rip through it. The Hun let Clarissa fall on the ground immediately, and turned around fast. Clarissa was about to fall unconcious. But the sight she came to see kept her eyes wide open with fear and shock. Chien Po fell on the ground with blood dripping from his throat. He was dead... The savage had killed him...

'"NO!" yelled Clarissa and she ran by her dead friend's side, forgetting for a moment that she could die as well.

She hadn't cried in years. There was nothing for her to cry for. But this week back in the Enchanted Forest had brought her back to her previous original self. She wondered if she would be like that if she had never left...

The Hun raised his sword once again, to finishe what he started. Clarissa made no move to stop him, it would be pointless. She just stood there and waited for the Hun to finish her off. But something stopped him. His sword fell form his hand and he made a groan of pain. Clarissa found out what was happening when the savage dropped on his knees. There was someone behind him. Not someone. It was _him_. Out of all the times she needed his help, he chose to appear then. When she was about to die. He had his hand inside the Hun's back. In a fewseconds, he pulled it out holding something that looked like a heart that glowed in a shiny pink color. Oh God, he had just ripped his heart out...

"How many times must I tell you? Not. Her." he said and started squeezing the heart until it was nothing but dust. Clarissa stayed with her eyes wide open the entire time. She had witnessed two deaths and almost experienced her own in a matter of a few minuites... At that moment, she snapped. She grabbed Chien Po's knife and made a move to stab _him_. But he was faster. He grabbed her arms and made the knife disappear with his magic.

"Is that a way to treat the one that saved your life?" he asked.

"You didn't save my life, you took two of them!" she yelled, angrily, trying not to let her voice break.

"If I recall, it was him to kill your friend, not me." he said and pointed at the Hun's dead body.

"Quit playing dumb, it was you that sent the Huns to attack the camp. Why?" she asked, her voice not breaking for even a second. She couldn't appear weak in front of him.

"Isn't it obvious? To help you of course, my dear Rissy." he said.

"Don't call me that. Couldn't you help me the second I got here? Why now?" she asked.

"Because, Rissy, the second you got here, you were on the right path. I didn't want to ruin that. But this one only helped you do just that." he said, pointing at Chien Po's body.

"What are you talking about?" she asked.

"You were about to get out by yourself, using a very sneaky and smart method I must say. What was her name? Ping? Oh no, that was the fake one. Mulan, was it?" he said.

"What about her?"

"You were going to spill her secret, weren't you?"

"I don't know what you are talking about."

"Sure you do. Giving into your dark side is nothing to be ashamed of. Why did you call off that plan?"

"Because I'm not you. Why do you care how I do things anyway? In two weeks time, we'll never have to see each other again."

"I wouldn't count on that. Without using any sneaky methods, I doubt you'll ever get out of here."

"Why don't you get me out? You are here."

"Where would the fun be in that? It's the game, Rissy. This Hun attack was a warning. Next one probably won't be. Better get this plan of yours going." he said and disappeared into thin air.

* * *

 _ **Storybrooke**_

 _ **Present Time...**_

The mines. Henry went to the freaking mines. Which were most likely going to collapse even more. Damn Archie and damn Regina for making Henry go there.

"Henry!" yelled Ris along with Archie and Emma.

"Champ, come out now!" she yelled again, this time approaching the mines.

"I don't think he's here." said Emma, hopefully.

"I think he is." said Archie and he held up a candy bar he found on the ground.

"Candy bars. He had these with him." said Archie.

"Great. Thanks to you being Regina's lap dog, Henry is trapped under this set of unstable rocks that will most likely..."

"Please, stop talking!" yelled Emma, not wanting to fear for the worst.

Suddenly, the ground started to shake again, just like last night. The mines were collapsing again...

"Henry!" yelled Ris and Archie at the same time.

"Henry! It's not safe!" yelled Archie. Ris tried to see through the smoke that the destruction had created. Archie had just entered the mine! Ris tried to go after him, but the entrance collapsed right in front of her.

"Archie! Henry!" yelled Ris. Emma ran towards her from behind.

"What happened?" she asked.

"Archie... He entered the mines and now he's trapped with Henry!" said Ris, trying to keep calm but failing.

"Oh my God..." said Emma. Ris took out her phone as fast as she could.

"Who are you calling?" asked Emma.

"Graham. He's the sherif, it's time for him to do his job." said Ris and placed her phone on her ear.

"Hey there. I didn't expect a call from you." said Graham when he picked up.

"You need to be at the old mines in about twenty now seconds. Archie and Henry are trapped in there, bring anyone who can be of help. Now!"

"When did that happen?"

"Uh, about ten hours ago, I just thought of calling you a little later and wait for the rocks to crash both Henry and Archie's bones. Get here now!" she yelled.

"On my way." said Graham and he hung up. Ris turned to Emma to calm her down, and she had her phone on her ear as well.

"Who are _you_ calling?" she asked.

"Regina. It is her son after all." replied Emma.

All the two best friends could do until help got there, was praying that Archie would find Henry and he would protect him.

 **A/N: Hey there! That must've been the biggest flashback I've ever written. I actually cried while writing Chien Po's death... I hope I didn't break any hearts... Anyway, I hope you got who that** _ **him**_ **person that Ris always brings up is. He's a real douche bag... Thank you for the favorites/follows and thank you Lolo314, Blacklab369, SwingingOnAStar and Lilian for reviewing! Thank you for reading! Please, please, please leave your review!:-)**


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

Almost the entirety of Storybrooke had gathered around the mines to help as much as they could with saving Henry and Archie. Well, everyone but Ruby was trying to help. She was just sitting in a corner playing with Pongo.

"Hey guys! Keep this up, and Henry with Archie will be out in five never years." yelled Ris to the people trying to take the rocks off the mine's entrance.

"We're doing the best we can!" yelled back Billy, the guy that had a crush on Ruby. He and the others were so slow... They would never get Henry out in time. Ris stepped carefully in front of the mine's entrance and started removing some rocks herself.

"Ris, what are you doing?" asked Billy, annoyed by her interference.

"What does it look like? I'm helping you do the job faster than the slug I saw a few feet away." she said back, quite harshly. She didn't mean to, at least not a lot. But she was really worried about Henry and Archie. Her best friend's son was in massive danger and Archie... She had always been so mean to him, and now her morals had finally made themselves known by making her regret that.

"This is the fastest we can achieve!" said Billy.

"I'm also here to provide motivation and give the good example, but obviously I'm either doing a crap job, or you are horrible students. Latter's possibly true." she said. The ground started to shake again when she said those words. Ris was the one closest to the mine and the rocks would've crashed her bones if Billy hadn't pulled her away.

"You're welcome." he said.

"Stop! Stop! You are making it worse!" yelled Regina like a crazy woman before the mines stopped collapsing. As soon as they did, Emma ran by Ris's side, concerned.

"Are you alright?" she asked, pushing Billy aside.

"Good. It's my pride that's hurt." replied Ris.

"What?" asked Emma.

"I was saved by a mouse!" said Ris, pointing at Billy. It wasn't meant as an insult, Henry had said that Billy was Gus from Cinderella, but obviously Billy didn't know that.

"Hey!" said Billy.

"You know what I mean, Billy." said Ris.

"Miss Swan, your job! Quit chatting and find another safer option to save Henry!" said Regina, super mad now.

"You know, Archie's down there too. He knows how to protect Henry." said Ris.

"Besides, it's your fault he's down there, you made him feel like he has something to prove!" yelled Emma.

"And why does he think he has anything to prove? Who's encouraging him?" said Regina, accusingly.

"Do not put this on us." said Emma.

"Oh, please! Lecture me until his oxygen runs out!" said Regina and walked away, not wanting to have to deal with them anymore.

"You know, Swan, she's right about one thing. We need to change our method. Those idiots are not gonna finish with this anytime soon. Someone must have another idea." said Ris.

"What we need right now, is something that can get away those rocks without five people working on it. Something that's like bam, rocks are gone." said Emma. As soon as she said those words, a look of realization made its way on her face as it did Ris's.

"Bam!" they said at the same time.

"I belive explosives are what you need." said Marco.

"Will that be safe?" asked Emma.

"Unless someone's still next to the entrance, which is impossible, it is safe." said Marco.

"Aright, let's give it a shot." said Ris.

A few minuites later, the explosives were set, and everyone had hidden behind the trucks to protect themselves from the exlposion.

"We're all clear." said Emma.

"Bang this thing open." said Ris as everyone lowered their heads. Ris shut her ears with her hands to protect them from the sound of the bam that was heard three seconds later. When it was done, Ris tried to look through the smoke. Emma didn't even try that, she ran straight to the mines and disappeared in the white smoke.

"Well?" yelled Ris when Emma did not come out.

"Did it work?" asked Regina. Emma did not reply and she came out in the clear with a devastated look.

"It didn't open." she said. Ris ran her fingers through her hair, and for a moment she thought of pulling at them to take out some of her anger.

"Then what did it do?" asked Graham.

* * *

 _ **The Enchanted Forest**_

 _ **A Long Time Ago...**_

The Huns were long gone, but they would be back tommorow, Clarissa was sure of it. _He_ said so. And who knew what would happen? Maybe the next one to die would be Mulan. The second person that had helped her, not as much as Chien Po had, but she did help her.

Clarissa was standing over Chien Po's grave. The soldiers already had a funeral for those they lost, that was what they were doing since the Huns attacked. They would stay in this camp for one more day and then they would go even further. She had taken the blame for the attack, since she was supposedly helping the savages, so she wasn't allowed to leave. She would never get to the Dark Castle in time, her brother would be in great danger and she would probably die...

"He was my brother." said someone from besides her. Clarissa looked up to see Yao. "Chien Po was my brother." he said.

"I'm sorry." said Clarissa. "Shouldn't you be hunting with the other soldiers?" she added, getting a bad feeling from being alone with Yao.

"Nah. I'm hunting my own prey today." he said, and before Clarissa could say anything, Yao had slashed the skin of her ankle with his sword. She hissed in pain, but she had experienced worse. It didn't take long for her to take out her own knife, Chien Po's knife, and raise it in front of Yao.

"It's not my fault that he's gone, nothing that happened is my fault, I was never working for the Huns and I certainly did not order that idiot to kill Chien Po! So stop with the accusations or I swear to God..."

"What? What will you do? Kill me like you killed Chien Po?"

"I never killed him!"

"You caused his death! And you dare hold his own knife in your hands?"

"Your brother gave it to me, he trusted me."

"That's what led to his downfall."

Yao attacked her again with his sword but she was fast enough to run away. He came after her. He was determined to end her life, no one had ever hated her so much. She couldn't leave the camp, there were guards all around it to make sure of that. She ran into one of the tents to find perhaps a bigger sword, the hunting knife Chien Po had given her wouldn't do her any good. Thankfully, she did find a sword as soon as she entered the tent. It was smaller than Yao's but it would do. She ripped the fabric of the tent from the other side and got out. Yao had just gotten inside it. Clarissa cut the ropes that were supporting the tent, trapping Yao under the fabric. She then tried to flee, but out of exitement for her victory, she tripped and fell on the ground. Yao used his sword to escape from where he was trapped, and ran towards Clarissa before she could get up. She tried to be fast and slip away, but Yao stabbed her dress and pinned it on the ground, keeping her trapped there. He then kicked her sword from her hands and gathered it from the ground pointing it at her face.

"Looks like you are out of ideas." he said. "Any last words?" he asked.

Clarissa panicked. She had never been so close to death before, and she certainly did not want to die. She didn't even get to say goodbye to her own brother, hell she even wanted to say goodbye to _him_. No matter how much she hated him, she had known him for more than anyone would imagine, she didn't always consider him as the enemy. Most of the times, yes, but not always.

She instinctively tried to stop thinking of morals, and act like a survivor. The tent she had just exited was Mulan's. Her stuff were scattered all over the place, but one thing caught her glance. It was a piece of paper that was wrapped like a papyrus. She knew what this was, it was a scetch of a family tree, she had one of her own. It was Mulan's family tree...

"Take a look at "Ping's" stuff." she said, pointing at the papyrus that was next to Yao.

"Why would I do that?" asked Yao.

"You'll see." she said. Yao looked at it and considered looking through it.

"If that's a trick, there will be no last words next time." he said and dropped his sword. Clarissa stayed where she was and waited for him to unwrap the truth. But as soon as she glanced at the sword Yao let on the ground, as soon as she was no longer in danger of being killed, she realized what she had done. Oh God, she would expose Mulan. She tried to rip the part of her dress that was stabbed on the ground by Yao's sword, but Yao had already seen the contents of the papyrus.

"I don't get it, I thought Ping was Fa Zu's son. Why isn't he anywhere in this family tree?" asked Yao. Clarissa did not respond. She was feeling horrible and she was really ashamed of herself. _"Giving into your dark side is nothing to be ashamed of."._ His words echoed in her mind. No, he was wrong. Mulan had trusted her with her secret, and she had exposed it to the first person who threatened her life. Damn morals... Why couldn't she be as heartless as _he_ was? Wait, what? She was going down this road now? No, she didn't want to be heartless, she didn't want to turn into _him_. One week ago, when she was still at that place, she thought that she would do anything to set herself and her brother free, no matter what the cost would be. But the Enchanted Forest was different. _She_ was different there. But at that moment, she wasn't sure who she was anymore...

"Unless there is no son..." said Yao, finally realizing what she was trying to say. He grabbed his sword again and pointed it at her face. He raised it and prepare to bring it down. But not on her. He cut the part of her dress that was pinned on the ground with the other sword, setting her free.

"Go." he ordered.

"What will you do?" asked Clarissa.

"It's not any of your business. Now get out of my sight. You'll need to be fast for when "Ping" finds out that you spilled her secret." he said and took off running to tell his co-soldiers what he found out. He told the guards as well, so that there was no one to catch her if she tried to flee. He wasn't doing it for her, Clarissa knew that. He was doing it so that she would be hunted by Mulan for revenge, and suffer before she died.

But none of these would happen. Clarissa dried the few tears from her eyes, took a deep breath, and made her way to the horse that Chien Po had given her. Her map was on its saddle, and so was some food. She got on the horse, and rode away as fast as she could. She promised herself that there would be no more distractions on her way to the Dark Castle. She would accomplish her mission, and she would get to the Land Without Magic with her brother, and they could finally be together peacefully.

* * *

 _ **Storybrooke**_

 _ **Present Time...**_

"Henry! If you hear me, please just say something!" yelled Ris from the mine entrance, trying to understand whether Henry was alive or not. She was frightened for the kid as much as she was about for Archie. She didn't know what she'd do if something bad had happened to them...

"What the hell was that?" yelled Regina at the people that set the explosives. "You said you could do this!" she continued. Ris gave up yelling for Henry. She took fast steps towards where Regina was.

"Henry does not reply to any of my shoutings, what exactly didn't you understand when Emma asked you if that would be safe?" she shouted.

"You could've killed my son!" yelled Regina.

"Madam mayor, Ris, calm down, the longer we fight, the bigger danger Henry will be in!" said Emma.

"If we knew exactly where they were, we could drill down to them. Maybe… Maybe rig something to bring them back up." said Marco.

"But drill where?" asked Graham.

"That's our problem here, you idiot. Swan, what are you doing?" she asked when she noticed Emma heading towards Archie's dog.

"Swan, wait! We are all frustrated here, but please do not go all Cruella De Vil on Pongo!" she yelled.

"I think he found something." said Emma and she went after the dog when it ran away to another part of the mines.

"Alright, that's really cool..." said Ris, and she ran behind Emma along with Regina, Marco and Graham. The dog stopped somewhere and started sniffing the ground.

"This is where they must be." said Emma. Ris and Graham digged a little, and eventually, Graham found a piece of metal. He removed it quickly and underneath it was an...

"Air shaft." said Ris.

"Air shaft? Can we remove it and get Henry out?" asked Emma.  
"With enough force, I think we can." replied Graham.

"Let's get on it then." said Ris.

A few minuites later, Marco had set a hook on the grate that was attached on the fire department's truck.

"Alright, gun it." said Emma to Ris, who was the one in the truck.

"On it." said Ris and she started the vehicle slightly.

"Speed up." said Emma.

"Do I need to hit the road for this to come out?" asked Ris.

"No, no, no, we got it. Alright, stop it." said Emma and Ris got off the truck. Everyone looked down the air shaft... Which was way too high for Ris's liking.

"Holy heights." she said and she looked away, closing her eyes. Earthquakes and heights were never her thing... She faced both in one day.

"So? What's next?" asked Regina.

"Certainly not sticking around, waiting for Henry and Archie to climb up themselves. Someone must go down there." said Ris, still turned around.

"Exactly. Straight down so that the the line won't collapse the side of the shaft." said Marco.

"I've got a harness." said Graham.

"Lower me down." said Regina.

"Don't, Graham. I would lower myself down there before I lowered her." said Ris.

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Regina.

"Have you ever done something like this before? The only thing you've done that requires moving is signing on whatever mayors are supposed to sign. This is something for the sheriff to do." said Ris.

"No. I'll go." said Emma.

"No way, what if you fall?" asked Ris.

"So it's okay if I fall?" asked Graham.

"There's nothing to worry about. As you would say, I'm a badass. Nothing bad's gonna happen." said Emma.

"What if something _does_ happen? My son could get hurt." said Regina.

"Sorry to tell you, but he's my son too. I can do this, there's nothing to worry about." said Emma.

"Just... Bring him back to me." said Regina, admitting defeat. Nothing was more important than her son at the moment.

"Swan, just know this. If something bad happens, I'll come to your grave and I'll say I told you so." said Ris to Emma only.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence." said Emma before Graham and Marco lowered her down.

* * *

Way down the air shaft, in the old elevator, were Archie and Henry. Henry still had hope that they would get out. Archie was hopeless.

"Hey, can I ask you again?" asked Archie, trying to make a converstation with the kid.

"Ask what?" asked Henry.

"Why do you think it's so important that your…your fairy tale theory is true?" asked Archie.

"I don't know." replied Henry.

"Give it a shot." urged Archie.

"Cause this can't be all there is." said Henry after some consideration.

"I understand." said Archie.

"But I have proof. Look." he said, and took out from his pocket a small necklace. No, no necklace, it was a small container attached to a piece of rope.

"What is this?" asked Archie.

"I don't know. But it's a start."

"Henry, this could've fallen from anyone. It's no proof. But that doesn't mean you didn't find anything. You found me." said Archie.

"You remember?"

"No, Henry. I… I don't remember, but I-I do remember the kind of person I want to be. I just got to listen harder." said Archie.

Suddenly, pieces of rock fell through the grate at the top of the elevator. They both looked up and they saw a light.

"What's that?" asked Henry.

"I think that's the rescue." said Archie, more relieved than ever.

* * *

Ris had knelt over the air shaft and she waited as patiently as she could for Emma with Henry and Archie to get back up.

"I thought you didn't like heights." said Graham as he kept lowering Emma down.

"I don't. But that's Emma and Henry down there." she said. Graham didn't try and talk to her again.

"You know, maybe I should be the one lowering her down. When she comes back up, you can be her hero and hold her in your arms while roses will be flying around and the sun will be setting." joked Ris, knowing that Regina would hear her and would be very annoyed at her.

"This is no time for your jokes, Ris." said Graham.

"Who said I'm joking around, I'm deadly serious." said Ris. In reality, she was only joking around so that she could calm her worries down a little. She couldn't hear anything from down there, if she stared in that hole for even a little longer, she would freak out and probably take her anger out on Graham or Billy.

"She'll be fine." said Graham, very assured of the fact. Thankfully, even these small words were able to calm her.

" _Archie_!" heard Ris. It was Emma, yelling from down there.

"Emma! What happened?" yelled Ris and she got up from the ground immediately. Billy came from behind and pulled her away from the air shaft.

"Don't get too close over there, you could fall." he said.

"Didn't you just hear that? Something's wrong! Just like I said."

"We're pulling them up." informed Graham.

"What if she hasn't done it yet?" asked Ris.

"There is too much weight, I think all three of them are set." said Graham, and he and the others started pulling them back up.

"If you're wrong, I'll kill you slowly and painfully." said Ris.

Graham, Billy and the others kept pulling until something happened. Something forced them to stop, and the rope went back down a little.

"What the hell just happened?" asked Regina.

"I don't know..." said Graham.

"Could it be good or bad?" asked Ris.

"I don't know that either... But we can't stop now." said Graham, and they started pulling again.

"Emma yelled for Archie a few seconds ago, something's wrong." said Ris.

"Not really." said Graham with a relieved smile. Ris walked towards the air shaft, and she let out a sigh of relief when she saw Emma's blonde head coming up accompanied with Henry's small one. No sight of Archie... When they got higher, Ris noticed something hooked on Emma's harness. It was Archie's umbrella. He had made it!

"I admit, Swan. You are a badass." said Ris, and offered Emma her hand to pull her up. As soon as her friend's boots finally touched the ground, Henry got off her and instead of hugging Regina, he hugged Ris first. Ris hugged him back eagerly.

"Words cannot express how much of an idiot you were." said Ris, although her tone was showing how relieved she really was.

"I'm sorry, but look. I found..." started Henry, but Regina pulled him in her arms and he didn't get to finish his sentence. Whatever, big bad mayor... Ris then walked to Archie, who was hugging Marco, his best friend. Marco then walked away to see how Henry was.

"Hey, Archie." said Ris. Archie turned to her, the anger he held towards her gone.

"Uh... Me downing your drink and threatening to beat you with your umbrella... Highly innappropreate. I hope you understand." she said. That came out totally wrong. But meh. Whatever. Archie offered her a kind smile and his hand to shake, to make their peace official. Ris shook it, glad that she and the cricket had finally found common ground.

"You know, Clarissa, that's the first apprpreate thing you've said since I met you." said Archie, making Ris roll her eyes in amusement.

"Now, excuse me for a moment..." said Archie and walked towards Regina. The big bad mayor had a lot to hear from the shrink.

"Hey, Ris." said Henry while Regina was talking to Archie.

"What's up champ?" said Ris.

"I found something in the mines. Maybe it's proof." he said and took out the small container from his pocket. Ris had seen it before... Mr Gold's shop, it was another item that had grabbed her interest. But what was it doing there in the mines? Mr Gold hadn't even showed up the day of the destruction.

"Uh... It's probably nothing, but I'll hold onto it if you don't mind." said Ris.

"Not at all." said Henry, happy that Ris was finally taking part by herself in Operation Cobra.

"And, Henry?" said Ris.

"Yeah?"

"Don't you ever pull a stunt like that ever again. Your mom, both of them were worried sick along with me. If I were Regina, I would ground you." she said.

"I won't do it again. I promise." said Henry.

"Good. Now if you'll excuse me, I have something to do."

"What?"

"Nothing to concern yourself of." said Ris and walked away.

* * *

Mr Gold was about to close up. Thankfully he was done for the day. He didn't get the results he desired, but there would be more chances. He thought he knew what he was doing when he had that mouse, Billy was his name, throw that item from his store in the mines when he found out someone had gone down there. Specifically Henry. He had enchanted that item back in the Enchanted Forest, it could bring back flashes from the old memories of someone's life there. He made it just in case it could be useful when he got his memories back. Thankfully, Billy was a mouse, so he didn't really had memories that would make sense. He hoped that if Henry found it, he would give it to Clarissa and she would remember. Henry would give it to either Emma or Clarissa, so he would win anyway. If Emma took it, she would remember her parents giving her up, she would belive and break the curse. If Clarissa did, she could come to him and confirm his suspicions about who she really was... He knew it was a big risk, but something was just urging him to find out more about that girl.

"Gold." said a female voice, and Clarissa marched into the shop.

"Miss Silver. To what do I owe the pleasure?" he asked. Clarissa didn't answer. She just placed the necklace on his desk.

"You dropped this at the mines." she said.

"An old necklace. Are you interested in selling it?" he asked.

"You can cut the crap, I saw this on your shop a week ago when I was cleaning the back room."

"I don't know what you are accusing me of, I haven't even been in the mines these last few days." he said.

"Are you saying that you were not aware of the earthquake yesterday? Of Henry and Dr Hopper's almost death today?"

"Almost death? I hope they are fine now."

"They are. But I have to ask you something directly. Did you have something to do with the mine's collapse?" she asked.

"Why would I do that? I don't know what you've heard of me, but that's certainly over the top." said Gold and walked around his desk to walk to the door. The enchanted necklace hadn't worked, so there was no need for him to chat with her anymore.

"Hey, we are not done here!" said Clarissa.

"I'm afraid _I_ am. After you." he said and opened the door. Clarissa grabbed the necklace from the desk and walked to the door, frustrated.

"I'm keeping this." she said and put it in front of his face.

"By all means, do that." said Gold. Clarissa was disappointed that she couldn't get answers from him, Gold could tell from her face. But she left anyways on that black bike of hers and she drove back home.

 **A/N: Hey! Hope you liked the chap, Gold's plan was definetely confusing, but remember what he did to get Emma to be the sheriff? That man is the master of big plans.:-) Soooo, I hope I won't get hate about tha flashback. That was the plan from the beginning, she's not perfect and she mostly makes wrong decisions. Kinda like what Adam and Eddie pulled off with Snow and David and Lily. While many people hated that, I loved it. It showed that Snow and David are not perfect and they make mistakes, I was so glad they did that.:-) But to make up for it, our hubbie Robin Hood is making a comeback next chapter! I kinda love their friendship!:-)**

 **Also, something important. It's September, and that doesn't only mean new season for OUAT. It means school will begin and it's my senior year so I have to work hard. I'll try and update as often as I can, but it will all depend on the amount of motivation I get and of course my homework. That's that.**

 **Thank you for the favorites/follows, and thank you Lolo314, Blacklab369, Lilian, SwingingOnAStar and for reviewing!:-) Hope you enjoyed, please review.**


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

 **A/N: The flashback is set a few hours after Ris left the camp. Enjoy!:-)**

Nothing felt real for David Nolan. He was standing outside a house he didn't even remember, next to a spouse that he didn't remember either. Katheryn was trying her best to be patient with him and his amnesia, but David knew that she was hurting inside, and he didn't even know her. He wasn't interested in getting to know her either. All he was interested in was Mary Margaret... He knew that he shouldn't have feelings towards her, but he did and they were real. Her visits at the hospital were the only times where he could just be... Himself. Without feeling akward about his amnesia. It wasn't because she saved his life, she wasn't the only one that had saved him. There was just something about her... He didn't quite know what it was, but whatever made her so special in his eyes was making him fall for her more and more with each passing day.

"Come on. Everyone's waiting." said Kathryn.

"Who's everyone?" he asked, but Katheryn didn't answer.

The couple entered the house, and almost the entirety of Storybrooke was gathered in there for a "welcome home" party. David wasn't really in the mood for throwing fake smiles to everyone that was waiting for him in the house. Except if Mary Margaret was there...

"This is Gene." introduced Kathryne. A man shook David's hand cheerfully, as if they were old friends. David just smiled akwardly while Katheryn kept introducing him to random people.

"Hey Dr. Whale." said Katheryn when they got to the doctor.

"Hi, David. Look, I know this is a lot, but it's good for you. The smallest thing can trigger your memories. Just try and have fun." said Dr. Whale.

"Thank you Dr. Whale, I'll do my best." said David.

"And this is..." started Katheryn.

"Saving the best one for last I see." said another voice. David knew that voice, he was pretty sure it belong to one of the other two women that saved him at the Toll bridge. Katheryn made a face when the brunette woman approached them with a glass of wine.

"Of course. David, this is..."

"Clarissa. Nice to meet you in person." said David, as he remembered the name of the woman.

"Call me Ris. And it's nice to meet you too. I should also thank you, if it weren't for this party I wouldn't be doing this right now." said Ris and she downed her drink from her glass in a few sips. She was certainly a cheerful one.

"Hey, you have more of this in the house? It's freaking awesome." she asked.

"I'll go get some. I'll get some more food as well." said Katheryn and she headed to the kitchen.

"So. How are things going? You had any flashes?" asked Ris.

"No, unfortunately. You were there when I was found in the woods, right?" he asked, trying to make a converstation.

"And also the only one you know in this room." added Ris.

"Yeah, pretty much."

"Emma and Henry are here as well. They were there when you were found too, maybe you could come and chill with us." she said. David couldn't feel more relieved.

"Thank you." he said and he followed her to the stairs at the corner of the house. A woman with blonde hair , Emma was there along with a little kid, her son.

"Hey guys, what are we talking about? I brought David along, I hope you don't mind." she said and sat next to Emma.

"Not at all. We were talking about Operation Cobra, maybe he can help us." said Henry.

"What's Operation Cobra?" asked David.

"Uh, how are you feeling?" asked Emma, not wanting to have to explain Henry's language to David too. David did not like that question. He had already been asked how he was feeling about a thousand times.

"I'm good, thanks." he said.

A guy came over and served some appetizers.

"Oh, thanks." said David and stabbed and cocktail weenie with a toothpick.

"So, you ever use a sword?" asked Henry. The kid was asking weird questions. Ris laughed and almost spit her appetizer on the floor. David smiled as well in amusement, although he was confused as to why was Henry asking him that.

"I'm sorry?" he asked, and looked at Emma for mybe some explanations. Emma just shook her head.

"Emma, you live with Mary Margaret, right? You know if she's coming tonight?" he asked. That was the question that was the most important to him anyways.

"Uh, no. She couldn't make it." replied Emma.

"Oh..." said David, disappointed.

"She's busy with some school stuff. Something about... Bird houses I think." said Ris. That grabbed David's interest. Emma shot her friend a look, as if she was telling her to shut up.

"Oh yeah, she's at the school. A few blocks from here. No way anyone would miss it." continued Ris, and she winked, as if she knew exactly what David had in mind, not caring about Emma glaring daggers at her.

"Oh. Alright then..." he said and he finally ate his apetizer. Somehow he gained back his apetite.

"Hey, Miss Swan, Henry." said Dr Whale as he approached the four of them.

"Hello? I'm right here." said Ris.

"If you'll excuse me for a moment..." said David, not wanting to talk to Dr Whale, he had had enough of doctors. He went to the frontdoor of his house. He knew exactly where he wanted to go.

Even when David left, Emma was still glaring at Ris. Mary Margaret was trying to get over David and she was playing match maker for them. She was making things more difficult instead of better.

"So, where's Mary Margaret, you are her roomates right?" asked Dr Whale.

"Wow. Guys lining up for her sake? You go Mary Margaret." said Ris.

"Excuse me?" asked Dr Whale.

"You are too late Dr Frankenstein. She doesn't have eyes for anyone but..." she started.

"Oookay. I think you had too much to wine. Excuse her." said Emma. She was getting tired of apologising for her friend all the time. Dr Whale didn't have time to reply, because Kathryn walked in their converstation.

"Have you seen David?" she asked.

"Uh... He." started Emma.

"No." said Dr Whale.

"Maybe he went for a piss outside." said Ris.

"There's a bathroom in this house." said Kathryn, somewhat angrily.

"Hello? The guy doesn't remember his own wife and you expect him to remember where the bathroom is?" said Ris.

"I'm not dealing with you right now..." said Kathryn and walked away to the other direction. As soon as Kathryn left, Henry started laughing.

"You are helping on Operation Cobra! That was so cool." he said.

"Operation Cobra?" asked Dr Whale.

"Long story, wait for the movie." said Ris.

"Kid, that wasn't funny, and I'm afraid I will have to cut this party short for you two." said Emma. Henry and Ris started complaining immediately.

"I didn't even get to taste all the drinks here." whined Ris.

"I _could_ buy you a drink at the "Rabbit Hole" if you're interested." said Dr Whale.

"Weren't you just asking about Mary Margaret?" said Emma, raising her eyebrow.

"Calm your hormones, dude. After all, a kid's in front of you." said Ris.

* * *

 _ **The Enchented Forest**_

 _ **A Long Time Ago...**_

Robin Hood felt relieved when he spotted his friend's camp. Yao had been his friend for a while, but he had gone off to fight some savages with some other soldiers while Robin was living his life as a thief along with Marian and the Merry men. They hadn't seen each other in two years, but Robin knew he could always rely on Yao.

He got off his horse and on the carriage, to comfort his sick wife. Marian had gotten sick a few days after that girl, Clarissa, left them and stole his crossbow. He figured that she didn't want to be followed, so he didn't do anything about it. He was a thief himself, so he didn't mind being stolen from. She looked like she needed it wherever she was heading at.

Robin touched his wife's forehead to check her fever and wake her up.

"Marian, we have arrived. You can wake up now." he said. Marian opened her eyes slowly, and as soon as they adjusted to the light, she looked at her husband.

"You think somebody here can cure me?" asked Marian.

"They are soldiers, so they have the best doctors in the land in their service. Of course they can." said Robin, with an assured tone of voice, which gave Marian a lot of hope.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" she said happily. Robin smiled at her and kissed her on the lips, not caring if he would get infected. The had already arrived at the camp anyway.

Robin rode his horse until they were just outside the camp. He got off and tied his horse on a tree, next to Yao's horse, since Robin had stolen it for him.

"I'll be right back as soon as I get a doctor." said Robin to Marian and he entered the camp. The soldiers were doing anything but train. They were chatting with each other, as if something urgent had happened. But Robin was able to spot his friend. He was standing in front of a grave somewhere at the edge of the camp. He was alone and he had an emotionless expression. Robin immediately grew concerned, Yao was always full of life and he couldn't stand not talking. So he walked towards his friend, ready to comfort him.

"Yao?" he called. Yao turned around and his face lighened up a little at the sight of his oldest friend.

"Robin of Locksley. Haven't seen you in a while." he said, and the two friends shared a friendly hug.

"I've actually changed it to Robin Hood now." he said when they pulled away.

"I can see why. That's a weird attire." said Yao, pointing at his hood.  
"Says the one wearing an armor two times his size." said Robin. "Anyway, what are you doing here all alone? All the others seem to be making a fuzz about something." he said.

"Just... Visiting my brother's grave." replied Yao.

Robin's smile faded as he looked at the tombstone.

"Chien Po's dead?" he asked. He wasn't really familiar with Yao's brother, but from what he had heard he was a good man.

"Yes. Savages attacked the camp. He was trying to protect a little harlot from getting hurt. They killed him instead of her. Then someone else killed the savage, I don't know who." said Yao.

"That's horrible, I'm so sorry." said Robin.

"That's alright. I've gotten my anger out on something else and the little harlot payed. That's what matters."

Robin was curious to find out more, but Marian was more important than that to him.

"Listen, Uh... I need your help with something."

"What is it?"

"You remember Marian, right?"

"The woman you wouldn't shut up about? I remember her."

"She's my wife now and she is very sick. You soldiers here have the best doctors in the entire realm. Does any one of them happen to be avaiable? Marian is getting worse with every passing day."

"Oh... I'm so sorry, but our best doctors were killed during the attack. There's only one left and he's not the best one around."

"We'll see whoever you have at that point, it's not like he can't do anything, right?"

"Well, he _is_ a doctor."

"Perfect. Tell him to meet me inside a tent, I'll get Marian." said Robin and he walked back to the carriage. Marian was, of course, still waiting there, lied down on the uncomfortabled bunch of wood.

"Did you find a doctor?" she asked.

"I did. I'll carry you to him." said Robin and he took Marian in his arms. They were inside the doctor's tent that Yao showed them in no time. The doctor had Marian lie down on the bed, and he asked Robin and Yao to wait outside.

"How exactly did the little harlot pay?" asked Robin, trying to make a converstation with his old friend.

"I was ready to kill her, but instead, I let her go. Now she has someone else hunting her." he said.

"Who?" asked Robin.

"There was a woman pretending to be a man the entire time in this camp. The harlot exposed her to me, I exposed her to everyone else. We kicked her out of the camp leaving her with nothing but a blanket. I can guess that all she has in mind is revenge right now. She will hunt down the stupid little girl and she'll kill her slowly and painfully, just like she deserves." said Yao, feeling satisfied saying those words. Robin on the other hand felt disguasted. He had never heard Yao talk like that about anyone. It was almost like he was a different person.

"You kicked a girl out and cursed another one to this fate?" he asked.

"They deserved it." said Yao.

"No, they didn't. They were in need, they did nothing wrong."

"They lied to everyone, the younger one costed me my brother."

"There must be a good explanation for that. And the attack wasn't her fault. She didn't cause all this." said Robin. Whenever anyone dared to harm those in need, he would get all defensive. And seeing this behavior coming from an old friend was making him even more angry.

"Excuse me? May I talk to you please?" said the doctor, stepping out of the tent.

"Of course." said Robin, forgetting about Yao. His wife was more important.

"Is she going to be alright?" he asked when he got in the tent.

"I'm afraid I have bad news. It appears your wife's not sick. She was poisoned." said the doctor.

"Poisoned? How do you know?"

"I know the symptoms. We had a cure a few hours ago for this certain poison, but there was an attack and we lost everything. Unfortunately, I don't know how to produce that cure. I'm sorry." said a doctor.

"Is this poison... Deadly?" asked Robin, but he already knew the answer.

"It is. It's not spreading quickly, but if she doesn't get an antidote soon, she'll die slowly and painfully." replied the doctor. Thankfully, Marian had fallen asleep and she heard none of it.

"She's pregnant... I can't lose her now. I'll find the cure. I won't stop until I find it." said Robin.

"I think I have an easier way for you to cure yor wife and your unborn child." said the doctor. "But are you willing to pay the price?"

"Yes, I'll give you anything..."

"It's not me that you must pay."

"I don't understand..."

"There was a girl in this camp. She had a map that led to a powerful warlock's castle. They call it the Dark Castle. There, resides Rumplestiltskin, the Dark One. He posseses every sort of magical object you can think of." said the doctor. He then reached under the bed, and he grabbed a piece of paper.

"I've made a copy of that map in case I need it. But I think you need it more." he said and handed the map to Robin. Dark Castle... Poison... There was only one person with that destination that had gotten inside his home and wasn't a merry man.

"I know this is sudden, but could you describe the girl with that map?" asked Robin.

"She was brunette, somewhat short, brown eyes. A typical preety girl. She was about seventeen years old." replied the doctor." I can't recall her name..."

"Clarissa..." said Robin. It made sense now. Clarissa did not only steal his crossbow. She had poisoned Marian as well. He didn't know why she would do that, despite her attitude, she didn't seem like a bad person. But Yao had told him that she had exposed that woman... Who would know that she would be capable of that kind of evil... And she was only seventeen.

"Yes, that was the name. You know her?" he asked.

"No... I just thought I did. When did she leave?"

"A few hours ago. Why?"

"Just wondering..." said Robin and he looked at his wife. He would get to that Dark Castle if it was the last thing he did. And Clarissa would pay for what she did to Marian. He would be able to catch up with her if he took Marian and hurried up.

* * *

 _ **Storybrooke**_

 _ **Present Time...**_

"Oh no, this doesn't look good..." said Emma from inside her bug.

"What doesn't look good?" asked Ris, not taking her eyes of the mirror, she was trying to fix her hair.

"David. He's sulking away like some homeless puppy." said Emma. Ris immediately stopped doing whatever she was doing and she looked out the window.

"That's a sight I can't miss." she muttered.

"You think it had something to do with Mary Margaret?" asked Emma.

"It totally had something to do with her. He has "heartbroken" written all over his forehead." said Ris. David suddenly noticed them inside the bug and turned around to look.

"Duck!" said Ris and both she and Emma ducked, not wanting to get caught gossiping about David. But unfortunately, that attempt did not go unnoticed. There was a knock on the car window a few seconds later.

"Shit..." said Ris and Emma opened the window.

"Hi." greeted Emma innocently.

"Hey there, what are you doing exactly?" asked David, smiling.

"Operation Cobra secret talks. Candy bar?" said Ris, and she offered David a small piece of chocolate, that was actually from his house. She didn't lie anyways, they were talking about Operation Cobra, specifically about how Snow White dumped Prince Charming.

"Uh... No thanks, but... Can you not mention to anyone that I went to see Mary Margaret, I don't want anyone to get the wrong idea." said David.

"It's really none of our business, but you have to come clear with yourself and what you want. For your wife especially." said Emma.

"I know, I'll keep that in mind. Thanks." said David and started to walk away.

"And David?" yelled Emma before David left.

"Yeah?"

"Good luck." said Emma with a smile.

"You're gonna need it!" yelled Ris as well. David muttered another thank you and left.

"Now what?" asked Ris.

"Now, we go home and see what Mary Margaret is up to." said Emma.

When they got home, they were faced with a very stressed Mary Margaret who was cleaning the dishes like a maniac.

"You might want to ease up, or that brillo pad's going to press charges." joked Emma and Mary Margaret finally aknowledged their presence.

"Dishes were just pilling up." said Mary Margaret.

"My guess is that has something to do with your encounter with Prince Charming." said Ris and she sat on the counter. "But really, playing hard to get is getting old. I've already told you that you should definetely tap that. Boy likes girl, girl likes boy..."

"Except that we are not talking about a girl and a boy here." said Mary Margaret, interrupting Ris from continuing her sentence.

"Exactly. We're talking about a married man and a school teacher with many more options when it comes to guys." said Emma and sat next to Ris. "Don't listen to her, you did the right thing.

"He just... He made a vary compelling case." said Mary Margaret.

"He's still married. I know, we were just at the party. Ris practically gave him directions about where to find you." said Emma. Mary Margaret looked at Ris, surprised.

"I like a love story with a happy ending." said Ris.

"This is not a love story, Ris." said Mary Margaret, dropping the sponge for the dishes in the sink. "What do I do?"

"Get wasted." said Ris.

"What does that solve?" asked Mary Margaret.

"Actually, she's half right, you really could use a drink." said Emma and she walked over to a liquor cabinet. She got some whiskey and she filled three glasses with it.

"Here's the thing. I don't know a lot about relationships, other than having many that failed. But generally speaking, if you think something you want to do is wrong, it is. So, you got to stay strong and he has to figure out his life. Cheers." said Emma and clinged her glass with Mary Margaret's.

"All I have to say, is that Swan has it all wrong. Not every romantic relationship is a failure. Tonight was a bust for you, but who knows what's gonna happen tommorow? I don't really belive in bulshit like love, but I do belive that if two people want to be together, there is no sin with that. And that's what I'm cheering for." said Ris and clinged her glass with Mary Margaret and then forced-clinged it with Emma's.

"You suck at giving advice, you haven't even been in love." said Emma.

"Told you. I don't belive."

"You can't know until you are in it." said Mary Margaret.

"Well, I haven't. And I'm perfectly okay with that. Changing subject, do you think blue streaks would look good on my hair?"

 **A/N: Halelujah! That was unnececery, but whatever. Hope you liked the chap, I wrote it cause I went really well on my first Physics class for the year and I was in the mood for completing this!:-) I added some David and Emma talk, because their screen time together in the first season was so little compared to Mary Margaret's and I really love their father/daughter relationship. Anyways, you think Ris and Robin will part on good or bad terms? Who poisoned Marian? (As if it isn't obvious). Hmmmm... And Ris is the worst or the best advisor? Lol! I don't even know why I said those things, but anyways: Thank you everyone for the favorites/follows and thank you Lolo314, xKittyPetrovax3, grapejuice101 and SwinginOnAStar for reviewing! Please review, favorite and follow, I really need the motivation now! Thank you sooooooo much for reading! Byeeeee!:-)**


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

"Get off the way, manwhore." said Ris and she pushed Dr Whale aside in order to enter Granny's.

"When you come sick at the hospital, don't expect me to treat you." joked Dr Whale.

"Thank God. Then I might live." said Ris, and she entered the diner.

"Hey there, M&M." she said to Mary Margaret when she spotted her in one of the tables having some breakfast.

"What did you just call me?" asked Mary Margaret. Ris sat on the table across her, making herself at home.

"M&M. You know, your name is Mary Margaret and you are a sweet teacher. The thing writes itself." said Ris and she had a sip of the teacher's tea. "So, what did Whale tell you?" she asked.

"What makes you think he told me anything?" asked Mary Margaret, innocently.

"He was asking where you were yesterday at David's party. He seems rather interested. Then again, so is David, how did you manage that?"

"I don't know what you are talking about."

"Come on, Emma's not here, you can tell me what David told you yesterday." said Ris. Mary Margaret hesitated for a while, but eventually she spoke with low voice.

"He asked me if he was the reason I resigned from the hospital."

"Was he?"

"What do you think?"

"Could be Whale. You know, your date with him and him staring at Ruby's ass..."

"I remember." said Mary Margaret hurriedly. She really hated it when Ris brought it up. "But no, it's David. I just... I can't not feel akward and weird around him after what he told me the other day."

"That he has feelings for you, huh? Why do _I_ have a feeling that those feelings of his are not one sided?"

"They are not. But I would never act on them, of course. He has a wife and I..."

"You what?"

"I like to think that I'm not one to ruin a happy home."

"Happy? Every time he's around Kathryn, he looks grumpier than Leroy."

"It doesn't matter. There is a reason he hasn't left her yet. And would you look at the time, I need to get to school." said Mary Margaret and started gathering her stuff.

"Already? Come on, don't make me have breakfast on my own." whined Ris.

"Where's Emma?" asked Mary Margaret.

"She's at the station with Graham... You know what, maybe I should go and bother them..." replied Ris.

"Could you hurry this along, Miss Silver? I need a word with Miss Blanchard." said Regina's voice from behind her.

"Goodmorning to you too, Gina. I was gonna go out for a smoke anyway. I' ll bring you coffe at your lunch break M&M. See you later." she said and left.

* * *

Since he woke up, David felt that everything was wrong. But for once, he had done something right. He had taken Emma's advise and he figured out what he wanted. And that wasn't Kathryn. David was feeling guilty for leaving her, but if he could go back and change what he did, he wouldn't do it. Maybe he and Mary Margaret would have a chance now...

He spared his former house one last glance before he took his suitcases and took off. He had already arranged a room at Granny's so that was where he was heading at.

"David?" called someone when he got at the clock tower. It was Ris, the girl that had told him where to find Mary Margaret yesterday at his "welcome home" party. It looked like she was out for a smoke.

"Hey, you. How are you?" he asked.

"Preachy. Are those suitcases I see?" she asked. It sounded like she was hoping that he would say yes.

"Uh... Yeah. I decided to follow Emma's advise and figure out my life." he said.

"Your timing couldn't be more perfect. Really." said Ris, happily.

"What do you mean?" asked David.

"Oh, nothing. Just nothing. You're gonna stay at Granny's?"

"Yeah, for now at least."

"How did Kathryn take it?"

"Not well, but her knowing the truth is for the best."

"Totally agree. Well, Dave, I'll see you later at the school." she said and made her move to leave. It took a few seconds for David to realize what she had just said.

"Excuse me, at the school?" he asked, confused. Ris turned around with a smartass smile.

"Where Mary Margaret works of course. I've been bringing her coffe at her office during her lunch break for four days now. Perhaps you'll think of stopping by." she said with a wink and left.

She totally knew. Not that it wasn't obvious yesterday. She had given him directions on where to find Mary Margaret and she looked damn proud of doing so. But why was she helping him? She didn't even know him. Maybe because she was friends with Mary Margaret and she wanted to help _her_. But that meant that Mary Margaret really did feel the same way he did for her... That filled David with confidence. Confidence and hope that the two of them had a chance to be together. With a smile that reached his eyes, David headed to Granny's again, with his next stop being the school.

* * *

 _ **The Enchanted Forest**_

 _ **A Long Time Ago...**_

Clarissa had gotten tired of riding. She almost fell asleep on the horse once or ten times. Even the horse had gotten tired. The soldiers back at the camp had obviously never gotten that far from there. She had been riding for two days. If it wasn't for that crossbow... Yao would've never noticed her and she wouldn't have ended up in the camp of pain. Not to mention that Chien Po wouldn't have died, because as hard as she could deny it, her presence in that camp was the cause of his murder. She hadn't heard from Mulan either, and she doupted she ever would. Hopefully, tommorow her mission would finally be accomplished, and she would get to the Land Without Magic with her brother. As a family at last...

She decided to make a stop by a river, to get some water for herself and let the horse rest for a little bit. She got off the animal and walked herself towards the water. After she washed her face, she took out a wooden cup, one that her brother had made for her back in that place, and filled it with water. She drank some herself and then refilled it for her horse. But having some rest after two days of riding wouldn't be that easy. It just couldn't. As soon as she got back on her feet to give the water to her horse, she noticed that it was no longer there.

"Damn the bloody hell!" she yelled and she let the wooden cup drop on the sand as she ran as fast as she could towards where her horse was standing a minuite ago. She could still see it, but it had gotten really far. But it wasn't alone. There was a man riding it. His attire revealed that he was a prince. Clarissa didn't give two damns about that guy's title, she was way too close to the Dark Castle to let this idiot ruin it.

"Yeah, right! Run as fast as you can now, but when I get to you it won't be pretty!" she yelled. She _would_ get to him and she _would_ get her horse back. She noticed where the prince was heading at and she already knew how to get to him thanks to her detailed map. There was a short cut there, the only reason she didn't take it before was because the horse couldn't possibly fit there, one was supposed to walk through it on foot. It would be tiring for someone that hadn't slept in two days, but she let her anger and impatience keep her standing strong. So she took off running as fast as she could. That lightheaded dumbass wouldn't get away with this, she wouldn't let her horse go so that something worse would happen on her way to the Castle. The only reason she had survived everything that was thrown at her in that impossible quest was because _he_ wanted her to. He would always save her at the last minuite just so that she would experience all the near death situations that would come up, to play with her before she were to leave that place at last.

As she had predicted, she was able to get a few steps ahead of the prince. He would get there shortly, so she had to think quickly. She took out Chien Po's hunting knife, and began cutting a long tree branch. Then another, and then another. She tied them together by using some fabric from her dress. She placed them all between two trees and she tied the one end of it on the first tree. Then, she waited for the prince to come on the other end. She could just hope that she had calculated it correctly and the prince would use that path to get to wherever it was that he was going. According to her map, there was no other path that led anywhere, so she should be right. And she was.

The prince showed a few moments later, riding her horse as fast as he could. She could see the animal was tired, but the prince looked determined. Well, it didn't matter. As soon as the prince got close enough, she pulled the tree brunches high enough, and the horse came to a stop and the rider flew off of it. Clarissa immediately tied the animal on the tree so that it wouldn't leave, and untied one branch from her handmade trap. She approached the prince, and before he was able to get away from her, she hit him with the branch on his side, making him fall down again.

"Stealing a horse from the camp of pain? Not a good move man." she said and hit him again. Before the third hit struck the prince, he grabbed the branch and forced her on the ground as well. He quickly got up and threw the branch away.

"I didn't mean to, okay?" he yelled. Clarissa got up as well and she looked around for another item to use as a beating weapon.

"Really? You looked pretty determined when you ran away with it." she said, and after she gave up on finding something to beat up the prince, she threw a punch on his face. He grabbed her hands before she could throw another one.

"I mean it! I'm being chased by a ruthless king that wants my head, and my horse got hit and died! I had no other choice."

"But to steal my horse? I bet the king has a damn good reason for wanting your head besides looking handsome in his trophy room."

"He wants my head because I fell in love. That's his reason." said the prince, preventing another punch. It was his attempt to get Clarissa to understand him. Thankfully, she stopped trying to punch him, so he let her hands go. She let his words process in her mind before she spoke.

"Is that a reason for wanting someone's head?" she asked. The prince smiled, relieved that she belived him.

"Princes are not supposed to decide who they fall in love with. That's the king's job. And I chose the wrong woman." he said. The girl crossed her arms, her anger still hadn't faded away.

"If that's true, why are you heading towards that direction? It leads to a cliff, there's no escaping it." she said.

"I'm not... Familiar with these woods. I... I'm not really a prince." he said. Wait, Clarissa knew that she had heard that story.

"Are you James?" she asked.

"My twin brother's name was James... You knew him?" he asked.

"I've heard of him. He defeated some trolls by turning them into bugs along with Snow White, right?"

"It was really Snow's doing only. And she wasn't with James, she was with me. James is dead."

"I'm confused. When did he die, when did you start posing as him?"

"It's a really, really long story."

"And Snow White... That's who you're in love with, right?"

"Yes. But it doesn't matter now. King George is going to be here any minuite. And he will have my head. I suggest that you hide so that you can escape his anger, I don't think he'll spare you." said the prince.

Clarissa thought of what he had just told her, as well as her actions during those weeks. She had stolen a precious possession from a family that had helped her, she had exposed a woman that had saved her from execution, she had caused someone's death... She didn't think that there would be a way for her to redeem herself for those things in the Land Without Magic.

"This is such a bad idea..." she muttered as she untied the horse.

"What are you doing?" asked the prince.

"Have it." she said.

"Wait, what? Your horse? You are giving it to me?"

"It's not really my horse anyways. No big deal. Also..." said Clarissa and she took out her map. "If you go south, there should be a small path leading to a completely different area. Use it to escape king asshole." she said, pointing at her map.

"What about you?" asked the prince.

"I know my destination. It's not that far to walk there. Now go, before I change my mind. Find your love." she said.

"Thank you. I didn't catch your name." he said.

"That's because I didn't give it." said Clarissa and with a last nod, she left the prince behind and walked to her own destination. She had finally done something right. And although she didn't have a horse anymore, she felt better than when she had to use nasty methods to get out of situations like that one. Her cheerfulness didn't last long.

She had walked a few miles away before she felt herself being lifted from the ground. But not by a person. By a net, a trap for the animals.

"What the hell?" she yelled and she quickly reached for her knife, but it slipped from her hands and fell on the ground.

"Great..." she muttered.

"We'll have to agree on this one." said a voice from under the tree. A familiar voice. She looked down, to come face to face with the one and only Robin Hood. He had a victorious smile on his face, a smile that silently said: "You are busted, scum.".

"Bloody hell..."

* * *

 _ **Storybrooke**_

 _ **Present Time...**_

"I'm here and I'm bringing the non lattes." said Ris as she entered Mary Margaret's class.

"I still don't understand what a latte is." said Mary Margaret. Ris set the coffes on the teacher's desk and sat on one of the student's chairs.

"Doesn't matter. There's none in Storybrooke, I've looked at every single caffe." she said and had a sip. "Now, onto the important stuff, did you know that David left Kathryn?" she asked, casually.

"Regina made sure of that this morning." said Mary Margaret and had some of her coffe herself. She looked really stressed.

"Maybe you should've told me that before I payed four bucks extra for this stress maker." said Ris, pointing at her friend's coffe.

"She told me to stay away from David, but I haven't done anything wrong to begin with. It's not my fault that he left Kathryn." said Mary Margaret.

"Yes it is." said Ris, casually.

"Ris!" whined Mary Margaret.

"Oh, come on. As if it's not hard to feel the tension when you and David are in the same room."

"Stop talking." said Mary Margaret.

"What? I didn't mean sexual tension, just tension in general..."

"Just don't."

"Can't. Talking is what I do best."

"Then talk about something else." said Mary Margaret and looked for a letter opener in her drawers.

"Fine. I'm surprised you put up with me. My classmates back in London were prudes, kinda like you are and whenever I spoke about how Mr Carlyle and Miss Rutherford got it on..."

"I don't wanna know." said Mary Margaret and tried to open one of her letters.

"Careful. Looks sharp." said a voice from the classroom's door. It was David. Ris smirked at the sound of his casual voice and Mary Margaret's akward look.

"And that, fellows, is my cue to go." said Ris. Mary Margaret threw her a glare but nothing more. Before Ris walked through the door, she patted David's shoulder for good luck.

"Good luck, Dave." she said and headed to the police station. She had some bothering to do.

 **A/N: I know, I know. Small. But really, this episode has so much Snowing that I don't know where to fit Ris. Not that I'm complaining, Snowing is awesome. I belive that was the first Emma-less chapter. I kinda wanted to build a sort of friendship between Mary Margaret and Ris without it turning out boring, I really don't know if I'm succeeding though... Anyways, now we know why Ris is such a huge Snowing shipper, after that flashback. This part of the flashback shall be finished soon as well... Maybe two more chapters of it or so. I really want to know what you think, so please review if you can, as always.**

 **And thanks to everyone who favorited/followed, and thank you SwingingOnAStar, Blacklab369 and Lolo314 for reviewing!:-) Hope you still enjoy, please review and that's that. Until next time!:-)**


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 17**

"Yay! Donuts!" said Ris when she entered the sheriff's station. Graham was offering Emma donuts, being a typical cop.

"Back away, they are mine." joked Emma. Ris sat on the desk in front of Emma, who was expecting Graham to say something.

"I know it's cliche, but they come with a favor." said Graham.

"Oh no. What is it?" asked Emma.

"I need you to work tonight. Just this once." said Graham. Emma made a face.

"Why?" she whined.

"I volunteer at an animal shelter, and the supervisor's sick, and someone needs to feed the dogs." said Graham.

"Are you sure they are dogs and not evil wild cats?" asked Ris, trying to make Graham uncomfortable. She was sure that the animal shelter excuse was straight up bullshit. He had just gotten a booty call from the big bad mayor. He was really pathetic.

"What are you talking about?" asked Emma.

"Nothing." said Graham, glaring at Ris.

"Come on, Graham, you are taking my drinking buddy away." said Ris.

"It's an emergency." said Graham and he looked at Emma with puppy dog eyes. "Please?" he said, and he extended the donut box so that it was straight in front of Emma's face. Emma sighed, defeated, but she did take the donuts.

"Very lucky you bought a bear claw." she said and took a bite of one of the donuts.

"Graham, you're dead. I'm telling you there is no way you wake up alive to see the sun tommorow." said Ris.

"Well, if I wake up I'll most certainly be alive." said Graham, smirking like a smartass.

"Get back in your office, idiot." she said and she threw a pen from the desk on him. Thankfully, he did as he was told. "It's all that he's good at..." muttered Ris.

"Am I missing something here? You keep throwing those completely off statements, what was it with the wild cats thing?" asked Emma. Ris had actually thought of telling Emma about Graham and Regina, but her friend obviously had a crush on Graham and she just couldn't find the will inside her to actually spill the beans.

"Nothing. You know me with Graham. Anyways, is there anyway you can ditch tonight's shift?" she asked as she took a bite from a donut she took from Emma.

"Not without getting caught. Graham would spare me, but the... How do you call it? The big bad mayor has eyes everywhere. And she would be more than willing to fire me and even throw me in jail. So there's no avoiding this shift, sorry." said Emma.

"So I'll just be home alone?" asked Ris.

"Mary Margaret will be there."

"M&M doesn't do liquor at all times."

"M&M? That's a clever one. You know we can do night shift together, right?"

"Night shift? As in no liquor?"

"Come on , it'll be fun. You know, driving around Storybrooke, playing old boring games like "I see something"." said Emma. Ris took a while to respond.

"Fine. But just because I've got nothing better to do." she said. The two friends mock/clinged their donuts before they took a bite.

"Emma, Ris, can I talk to you for a minuite?" asked Mary Margaret and she entered the office.

"You can have two. Is this about David's little visit in the classroom?" asked Ris.

"David came in your classroom?" asked Emma surprised.

"Yeah, he did!" said Mary Margaret happily and she sat on a chair next to Emma.

"And that's good news? I thought you were avoiding him." said Emma.

"Calm down Swan, it's not like he just marched into the classroom while she was having a lesson and proposed in front of the nosy little brats." said Ris.

"He left Kathryn. David left her, he left his wife..." said Mary Margaret.

"Okay, okay, slow down." said Emma.

"Yeah, yeah I already know that, skip to the interesting stuff." said Ris, her interest officially caught.

"He did it for me. He wants me to be with him. He wants me to meet him tonight." said Mary Margaret. She was really acting like a high school girl who just got asked to prom by the hottest and most popular guy in school. Aka, the most lame guy in school...

"That's, uh…" said Emma.

"Really, Swan? That's uh? That's all you have to say, she almost got the guy of her dreams. Good job, M&M." said Ris.

"I mean, I'm trying so hard to be strong, but he just keeps coming. I mean, how do I stop it? You know, how do I let him down? What would you do?" asked Mary Margaret.

"I'd go." said Emma.

"That's the spirit Swan." said Ris.

"You'd... What?" asked Mary Margaret.

"Well he left her. It's one thing to say that he wants you, but it's another to actually make a choice and now, he has. That's all you can ask for." said Emma.

"Uh, Ris, what would you do?" asked Mary Margaret, wanting a second opinion.

"I'd go for it and get some." said Ris.

" _That_ , is the spirit." said Emma and she high fived Ris. High fives was something they never did, since Emma was never actually the type to do any of these things. No high fives, or secret sisterhood handshakes or anything like that. But that one just happened instinctively, and while Ris was surprised that she finally got a high five from her friend, Emma didn't even notice what she did.

"But... Regina decided to make fast friends with Kathryn, I don't think she'll take it very well." said Mary Margaret.

"All the more reason to do it." said Emma.

"But..."

"Do you have any idea how good it feels to defy the big bad mayor. Trust me, I've done it a hella lot of times to know." said Ris.

"Good Lord, is this really happening?" asked Mary Margaret, more exited than ever.

"You tell us." said Emma, with a smile.

"M&M, one. Big bad mayor, negative one." said Ris.

"We usually start from zero." said Emma.

"Yeah, but Mary Margaret got an extra bonus for defying Regina. I mean, she is Mary Margaret." said Ris, and she handed Mary Margaret a donut. "You also earned an bear claw." she said with a smile.

* * *

 _ **The Enchanted Forest**_

 _ **A Long Time Ago...**_

"How many times must I tell you? I did not poison Marian." said Clarissa as Robin started to walk away. After he cut the net down, he restrained her and tied her hands behind a tree. He thought that she had poisoned Marian, something that she obviously never did. She even knew who did it. Every time she managed to take a step forward, _he_ would always force her to take three backwards...

"Until I belive you. Which is never. You were the only one that could have done this, the only one that has lived under my roof and the only one to ever get close to Marian. I have no idea what you could possibly get out of it..."

"Exactly! There's nothing in it for me. And even if there was, I still wouldn't do it." said Clarissa. Although she didn't know if that was true... She had betrayed Mulan to save her own skin and the female warrior could possibly be dead...

"And why should I belive you? It's not like you've ever been honest. And it's definetely not like anyone should trust you. I heard what you did to that woman from the soldier's camp."  
"I was about to be killed by a crazy ass idiot who thought I killed his brother. I had no choice..."

"Everyone has a choice."

"That's not our issue right now. The point is, why would I ever poison someone who has been nothing but nice to me? There is no logic in that theory."

"It doesn't matter. You caused it, just like you caused the Hun attack and Yao's brother's death. I don't know who, or what you are. But everywhere you go, death follows." said Robin. He started to walk away again.

"WAIT! Wait, please!" yelled Clarissa.

"What now?" asked Robin, annoyed.

"I know how to cure Marian." said Clarissa, desperately.

"I know too. And that's what I'm going to do now."

"You know that you need to get to the Dark One's castle. But do you know how to get past the Dark One himself?"

"I have an bow with an arrow that never misses its target. I can manage."

"You foolish idiot, you think the Dark One is that easy to kill? He has to die by his own dagger. Or else, he can't be killed."

"How do you even know this?"

"I know people. And I also have the one thing that can help us get past him without killing him."

"And what could that be?"

"Squid ink. It can immobilize any magical creature for a few minuites. Enough time for us to get what we want and get out of there in time."

"And what do you want from the Dark One? What could it be that you are so eager to get to in the shortest possible amount of time?"

"Honestly, I don't know. But it is in the Dark Castle and if I get it..." started Clarissa, but stopped mid sentence.

"What happens if you get it?"

Clarissa remained silent. She didn't want to reveal her mission to yet another person. She would be vulnerable, and that could be used against her.

"Clarissa, If you want me to trust you, you'll have to be honest. What is it you want from the Dark Castle?" asked Robin. Clarissa wanted to tell him, she trusted him. But what if...

"A potion. I don't know what it is, I don't know what it does. But I'm supposed to deliver it in time. If I don't, my brother will be killed and I'll be next. But if I do, he and I will be free. We'll get to another land and be done with all the magical crap. That, is what I'm doing in the Enchanted Forest." said Clarissa. She had finally said it. It felt good. As if some weight was lifted from her shoulders. She hoped Robin would belive her. If he didn't she would be totally screwed.

The thief looked sceptical. He was considering to let her help him. He really wanted to belive her. Somehow, he knew that she was a good person, at least very deep down. And he wanted to belive that she hadn't poison Marian. But who else would have? It didn't matter. That girl had a way to get past the Dark One and live. He couldn't risk dying before he had saved Marian.

He approached the tree the girl was tied at, and he cut the ropes restraining her.

"Just know, that if I suspect you were lying to me the entire time, I'll leave you at the Dark One's mercy. Understood?" he said.

"Then I guess I have nothing to fear." she replied and pushed past Robin, leading the way to Rumplestiltskin's castle.

* * *

 _ **Storybrooke**_

 _ **Present Time...**_

"I see..." started Ris, looking out of the car window. She and Emma were officially on the night shift after endless hours of waiting in the sheriff's office. And Ris couldn't be more bored. "Something green." she said.

"Tree." said Emma.

"Wow. How could you possibly know?" asked Ris, sarcastically.

"Could be because you always see something green." replied Emma.

"I like nature. Your turn." said Ris.

"I see something stolen." said Emma.

"That would be my bike. I see something double stolen." said Ris when they passed by Mary Margaret's house, where they had parked the bug and the motorcycle.

"I've told you, I stole it from someone who stole it, I only committed half a crime." defended Emma.

"Yeah, sure." she said and yawned.

"We have barely started with the night shift and you are already feeling sleepy?" asked Emma.

"Yeah, but worry not. I bought coffe from Granny's for the both of us. It is no latte, but it will keep us awake, trust me. This is a stress maker, you can ask M&M." said Ris and she reached behind the passenger's seat for the coffes.

"Just give me that." said Emma and she had two sips of her coffe as did Ris. "I see something barky." said Emma, as they almost passed by the big bad mayor's house.

"Good one, Swan. I see something... IDIOT!" yelled Ris.

"Hey, I thought we said no name calling..."

"Swan, whatever you do, do not look at the mayor's window." said Ris. Someone was sneaking out of the window, and from the inside of the car, it looked like a thief. But Ris knew what it was. Or rather who it was. Graham was sneaking out of Regina's window after his booty call shift was over.

"What, her window?" said Emma, and she did the exact opposite of what she was asked. She turned her head and she spotted Graham jumping from the window.

"Oh, thank God you saw him. Come." said Emma and she got out of the car.

"Swan, maybe you should just spare that guy, it's not like the big bad mayor didn't have it coming..." said Ris, knowing that Regina and Henry were fine.

"No, Henry's in that house, that guy could be a mass murderer." said Emma, and she ran towards Regina's house to catch the "thief".

"Bloody hell..." muttered Ris and followed her friend, who was gripping a knight stick, ready to kick some ass with it. They got to the corner of Regina's house and waited for the "thief" to appear. When he did, Emma hit him in the stomach with her knight stick. The guy, who was indeed Graham, groaned in pain and fell on the ground. Emma's eyes widened. She surely did not see that coming.

" _That_ , is volunteering?" asked Emma.

"To be fair, it is volunteering, just not for dogs and not for the purpose of feeding them." said Ris.

"You, shut up. Are you covering up for him?" said Emma, not wanting to belive that Ris knew about this the entire time.

"Do not blame her. I asked not to tell anyone about..." started Graham.

"You and Regina getting on it?" asked Emma.

"No..." said Graham, trying to come up with an excuse.

"Then why were you sneaking out the window?" asked Emma, crossing her arms, angrily.

"Because… She didn't want Henry to know." said Graham.

"You can't even come up with a good excuse? No wonder how you were spotted so easily, idiot." said Ris.

"You did this with Henry in the house?" said Emma, not beliving what she was hearing.

"He's sleeping, he doesn't know." said Graham, as if that would make everything okay.

"Oh my god, I wish I was Henry right now, this is disguasting." said Emma.

"I really do work on an animal shelter." said Graham, trying to make up for lying.

"Sure you do." muttered Ris.

"You can finish my shift. I'm done working nights." said Emma and she threw Graham the car keys.

"Ris, wait." said Graham and he grabbed Ris's arm, stopping her from following Emma.

"Look, you pathetic idiot, I kept your secret about your wild nights with Regina and I will probably get scolded now. So I'd be careful about what I'd say if I were you." said Ris.

"Just... Talk to her, explain her the situation, please." pleaded Graham.

"I'm sorry, but the situation speaks for itself. Now, if you'll excuse me." she said and pulled her arm away from Graham's grip and followed behind Emma.

Emma was furious. And the worst part was that she didn't exactly know which part was making her more furious. That Graham lied to her about an animal shelter, that Ris hadn't told her the entire time, or that Graham was getting things dirty with Regina with Henry in the house. Or that Graham was actually sleeping with Regina...

"Swan, wait up." called Ris from behind her.

"Why didn't you tell me?" asked Emma.

"I thought you wished to be Suzy Clueless right now." said Ris.

"Yeah, but you knew he was lying to me about the animal shelter, why didn't you say something?"

"I promised Graham I wouldn't say anything because it's really non of my damn business whose bed he sleeps on and which chick he's screwing. How was I supposed to know that he would be so careless to get caught first night you are on the night shift?"

Emma wasn't in the mood to have an arguement with Ris. Besides, she was right. When you make someone a promise, you'll have to keep it. Something that she hadn't done three years ago when Ris asked for her help...

"Uh... You're right. It's non of our business who he sleeps with, we're not the bosses of his. Let's just go back home. See if Mary Margaret had a better night."

 **A/N: Robin belived her! Sort of... And Emma now knows about Graham. Which reminds me what episode the next one is... I don't think I'll be able to handle it, Graham and Ris are my BrOTP! I really should have them interact before you know what happens... But there are some really interesting stuff going on after his death, like a certain arrival, so that should be interesting.:-)**

 **Thank you for the favorites/follows/reviews! Until next time, leave your reviews and your opinions about pretty much eerhthing that's going on in flashbacks and present time. Hope you enjoyed!:-)**


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 18**

"Nice shot. I bet you twenty bucks you can't do it again." said Sydney Glass at Graham, who was playing a game of darts with Ris. The sheriff had encountered her inside Granny's while she was having a drink, and he had asked he to join him. He really wanted to fish some information about Emma. Not that there was any chance of doing so, since she was already drunk... Emma had been avoiding him ever since the night when she and Ris had caught him sneaking out of Regina's window. He wanted to make things right, but how could he when the blonde was doing anything in her power to stay away from him?

"I wouldn't bet against that guy, lap dog number two. He's got the moves right." said Ris with a michievous smile, and she had another shot. She was only half drunk, but that didn't stop her from drunk talking. Well, not that anything stopped her from talking in general. Graham had another shot as well, and he threw the dart straight to the center.

"Hooray!" cheered Ris, throwing her hands in the air. "Alright, my turn." she said.

"You're drunk, it wouldn't be a really fair fight." said Graham with a smirk.

"Don't care. Just give me that fart. Ugh, dart." she said, making Ruby and Graham start laughing.

"She won't do it." said Ruby.

"Definetely not." agreed Graham. Ris threw them a glare, and threw the dart with no hesitation. It hit right on the center, so hard that Graham's darts fell down. She smirked and looked back at Graham and Ruby.

"You were saying?" she said.

"Looks like someone else has their moves right." said Billy from his booth, raising his glass up.

"I'm honored." said Ris, mockingly and she grabbed Graham's glass downing all of its contents.

"Alright, that's enough party for you today." said Emma's voice as she appeared from the backroom. She had probably used the dinner's back entrance. She surely did not look pleased seeing Graham after what she witnessed last night.

"No way. Grab a dart Swan and join." said Ris.

"Thanks but no thanks. And if you want to stay, fine. But you are bringing her home." said Emma, pointing her finger towards Graham. Emma walked away, but Graham wouldn't have it. He turned around and threw the dart towards Emma, not directly at her, but the wall next to her. Everyone turned their attention from the dart competition to Emma. The blonde turned around and glared at Graham.

"What the hell? You could've hit me!" yelled Emma.

"I never miss." said Graham.

"Careful. Show off alert." muttered Ris with her interest officialy caught.

"You've been avoiding me since last night, when you saw me..." started Graham.

"Leaving the Mayor? And yes, that is a euphemism. I'm not avoiding you, Graham, I just have no interest in having this conversation. It's your life. I really don't care." said Emma and walked out of the diner. Graham just stared after her.

"What are you waiting for? A special invitation? Go for it." said Ris, frustrated at Graham's hesitation. Graham nodded at her and ran after Emma.

"If only it wasn't for me..." said Ris. She then turned to everyone at the diner. "Who's playing darts against me?" she asked.

"I am." said Billy and he got off his chair.

"I'm not playing with amateurs. Leroy, what about you?" she yelled. The town drunk turned his head towards Ris and gave her a very much fake smile.

"I'll live, sister." he said and turned back to his drink.

"You're lame. Sydney, you're up." she said.

"I thought you didn't play with amateurs." said Billy.

"I know, but it'll be fun to watch him fail after doing the commentary like a smartass."

"No one's doing anything. We're leaving." said Emma when she re-entered the diner.

"I thought you left...?" said Ris.

"I did. But thanks to you Graham caught up with me." she said when she got closer to Ris, so that only she could hear.

"What did he do?" asked Ris.

"Forget about it. We're going home." said Emma and grabbed her friend's arm.

"I'm afraid that was it folks. Goodnight!" said Ris, as if she was actually talking to a big crowd, while there was only Ruby, Sydney, Billy and Leroy.

"I swear, this is the last time you're drinking with no permission from me." said Emma.

"Whatever. MOM."

* * *

 _ **The Enchanted Forest**_

 _ **A Long Time Ago...**_

Belle was sat on her "bed" inside her "room". That beast was right, it sounded a lot better that dungeon... She didn't understand how could someone be so cruel. She had always been good with reading people, her books had taught her well. She knew there was good inside him, but she didn't know why he was covering it behind this... Cruelty. She wanted to explore more of the Dark One's past, to know what made him this way. But how could she when he never talked about anything but the chores he had in store for her to do? He was currently out, he had been for three days, doing some business with another kingdom, or so he said. She was all alone with nothing to do, she had already finished her chores yesterday.

Right when she had that thought, a clash was heard from outside the dungeon. Right after that, there were voices. Bickering voices. Belle decided to go take a look.

Outside the door of the Dark Castle, Robin and Clarissa were arguing about which way they'd break in the Dark One's castle.

"You can't waste all of the squid ink, what if you miss?" asked Robin.

"I won't. That's why I got two doses of it. One is to get inside. The other's for the Dark One. We are not breaking in with your classic thievish way." said Clarissa. Before Robin could argue any further, Clarissa threw the squid ink and the large door disappeared to thin air.

"Now, stop complaining and follow me." said Clarissa. Robin followed behind her, deciding that arguing with her would be a waste of energy and time.

"Where's the Dark One?" he whispered.

"I think I can hear him. He's in the main hall, quickly, get to the wall!" she whispered/yelled. She and Robin stood next to the entrance of the main hall with their backs facing the wall. Clarissa was right. There were footsteps coming closer... Soon, the doors opened and someone stepped outside. Clarissa didn't have the time to look at who it was, and she threw the squid ink instinctively. She heard a gasp of surprise, only that it didn't come from the Dark One as she expected. It was a brunette young woman with a yellow dress. Wait what? Who was her? Where was Rumplestiltskin...

"You wasted all the squid ink! I told you we should've just broken in!" said Robin.

"Or, you could've just knocked on the door." said a snarky voice behind them.

"Rumplestiltskin..." muttered the woman. _Who was she anyways, his lover or something?_ thought Clarissa. Before the Dark One managed to say another word, Robin had pointed his arrow towards the woman, who was just waiting in fear. Not in fear of them. But the fear of what Rumplestiltskin would do to them.

"I wouldn't do _that_ dearie." said Rumplestiltskin.

"You have something we want inside your castle. Hand it over, and the girl shall live." said Robin. He was totally bluffing. He would never do that to an innocent, not even if it meant saving Marian. The Dark One knew that, unfortunately.

"No, no, no. See, dearie, I don't think you understand this castle's rules." he said. Suddenly, they all disappeared in a puff of smoke and reappeared inside the main hall.

"People come here for deals. Not to attempt to steal from me." he said, as if he was talking to a child. He cast a spell on Robin, which immobilized him, his bow still aimed on the woman. Clarissa looked around in case she found a way out of this.

"That's good then, because this is not an attempt." she said, and she grabbed a sword from one of the castles metalic soldiers and threw it on the Dark One, hoping she could slow him down. It hit him straight on his chest, and although it wouldn't kill him, it did indeed slow him down. She then ran towards the Dark One's collection, since she had alrady spotted the potion that matched the description that _he_ gave her. She was almost there when the Dark One reappeared in front of her with an evil smile. He waved his hand and she was immobilized as well.

"Don't you know, dearie? Killing the Dark One takes a lot more than that." he said and pointed at the sword that was still on his chest. "Now, what shall I do with you?" he asked rhetorically, as if he was asking her what gift he would get her for her birthday. "Oh, oh, I know." he said excitedely, and he raised his arm, raising her up in the air at the same time. She couldn't move or do anything. She was completely at the Dark One's mercy, as was Robin, who was looking at the scene that was unfolding before him in terror. The Dark One moved her in front of one of the huge windows. He then moved Robin, who still had his crossbow raised, in front of her. Oh no... They both knew what he was going to do... He was having Robin kill her with the crossbow that never missed and then... Who knew what he would do to Robin himself?

"Any last words, dearie?" asked the Dark One.

"Stop, don't do this! You haven't even heard to what they have to say!" said the woman, finally speaking up to the beast.

"Your chore here, dearie, is cleaning the castle. Not playing concience. There." said the Dark One angrily and he made the woman disappear in red smoke, probably back in her room or something. The Dark One turned his attention back to Clarissa. She didn't want it to end like this. She had survived ogres, Huns, Yao and Robin. She wouldn't die. Not when she had almost achieved her goal.

"I'm sorry..." said Robin, not being able to move from his place. The Dark One waved his hand, and the arrow flew off. Clarissa gathered all the strengh she could get, just like _he_ had taught her. Finally, some words of his didn't go to waste completely. Her arm flew up as well. The arrow that was inches away from her, took a sharp turn, and it hit the window instead. It shattered in pieces and Clarissa ducked, along with Robin, whose immobilization spell had broken off because of the Dark One's loss of concentration. When the damage was done, the Dark One looked at her curiously. She was too surprised with herself. _He_ had been trying to teach her magic for years. But she never wanted to, because of her brother's hatred for it. But now... Wait, that wasn't her. She looked over at the reflection of the sword the Dark One had just pulled out of his chest. It was soaked with blood, but she managed to catch a very clear glimpse of _his_ face. She couldn't make out his facial expression, but he was definetely there watching her. She should've known. He was waiting for her to get near death and then save her at the last moment. Of course... And since his presence there could easily guarantee her safety, since he wouldn't have the potion without her, she did the only thing that came to her mind.

"I don't know what I just did. But I'm not sticking around to find out." she said. With another wave of her hand, the Dark One's collection cabinet snapped open and the potion flew on her hand. She then turned around and ran towards the shattered window. She didn't have time to think of anything when she jumped, heading down the sharp rocks. But she wouldn't reach them. He was somewhere around there and he wouldn't have the potion if he didn't save her. She would go back for Robin of course, when she had ensured her own safety for another encounter with the Dark One. She could always get more squid ink... Halfway down, the fall became uncomfortable. She should've been saved by that moment. The potion disappeared from her hand. No... He didn't need _her_ to have the potion. He only needed the potion itself. That was when she panicked. The rocks were coming closer. No, this couldn't be the end... And it wasn't.

Her body fell on the ground, safely while she heard someone laughing from besides her. _Him_. She should've known that he would play another one of his games...

"You really bought it, didn't you? That I would let you die?" he asked, as if the entire situation was funny. Clarissa raised her head from the ground and gave him one of her hardest glares.

"Don't give me that look Rissy. We both know I would never break my word. Now, shall we go?" he said. Clarissa was intrigued to say yes. Her mission was finally accomplished and her brother was waiting for her. But... Robin. He was still inside the castle, his wife was still sick. Damn morals... What the hell was she supposed to do now?

* * *

 _ **Storybrooke**_

 _ **Present Time...**_

"Holly crap!" yelled Ris as she woke up from her sleep on the couch. Emma groaned sleepily from the bed and turned on the light on the nightstand.

"What the hell are you yelling about?" she asked her friend.

"Another weird dream..." replied Ris. She had been having those for weeks. Ever since the mines. At first she thought it was because of the worry she felt for Henry, Emma and Archie that day, but they wouldn't last for so long. The same people were involved in these dreams every single time. There were two boys, who really looked like her when she was younger and Mr Gold... She didn't even know why she kept dreaming those things, but they just wouldn't go away. The worst part was that she had had those strange dreams before. She had seen these two boys. When she was little and still at the orphanage. She thought that she had gotten rid of them at the age of thirteen. But somehow they had returned.

"You know, maybe you should take the bed, it's not a big deal."

"No, no keep it. I'll just... Go for a smoke outside the house." said Ris and got off from the couch.

"Haven't we talked about smoking? Your sessions with Archie have really done nothing to help that habit?"

"I've been having those sessions for only three weeks. And I've only wasted two cigarette packs. It is progress."

"Ris, this will only stress you more. Just get some water and go back to sleep."

"Fine. I'm way too lazy to argue with you anyways." said Ris, and she went down the stairs to the kitchen. She rubbed her eyes and headed to the sink. But she stopped on her tracks when she spotted someone else in the house. Someone that was not Mary Margaret... It was in fact a guy, who was wearing no shirt. He was looking for something on the couch. Well, he would never get it. Ris took a few quiet steps towards the bathroom, where she had placed Mr Gold's antique crossbow. It was Mary Margaret's idea of decoration. She removed it from the wall and went right back in the living room. The guy was still there, apparently buttoning up his shirt. She sneaked behind him as quietly as possible, and when he realized someone was watching him and turned around, Ris hit him on the face with the crossbow. The guy groaned and fell on the couch.

"Ow!" he whispered/yelled. He turned his head up, and Ris finally saw who it was...

"Whale?" said Ris.

"Hey there. Nice Pj's." he said, still rubbing his eye where she hit him. But that only made Ris hit him again on his leg.

"What the hell are you doing here naked? Are you a pervert?" she asked.

"To be fair, I wasn't completely naked..."

"Thank God. I'm really not ready to witness that sight. What are you doing here? Where is M&M?"

"M&M? Why thank you for giving me the idea of what I should call her next time." said Whale. That only resulted on another hit, although it was a light one, on his arm.

" _I_ came up with it. Only _I_ am allowed to use it. And what do you mean next time?" asked Ris.

"Uh... Maybe you should ask Mary Margaret, I really should get going." said Whale and he put on his coat that he had left on the couch.

"Oh my God, you screwed each other?" asked Ris, making a face that was mixed with disguast and surprise.

"Saying it this way really does make it sound horrible. Have a good night." said Whale and headed to the door.

"Hey, we're not done here!" said Ris.

" _I_ am. Goodnight, Clarissa." said Whale and left the house closing the door behind him. Ris remained at the same spot he left her.

"What the fuck just happened?" she asked to herself. She totally forgot about the water. What she had just witnessed was enough to not let her sleep for at least five nights...

* * *

"Morning Ruby. The usual." said Ris the moment she stepped inside Granny's in the morning.

"You look cheerful today. What's up?" asked Ruby, sarcasticaly. Ris dropped herself on the chair and rubbed her eyes sleepily.

"I barely had any sleep last night with all those weird drems. Have you ever had a series of dreams that are like a TV show? They involve the same people and it's like one dream is the sequel of the other. Weird." she said.

"Can't say I have. When did this start happening?" asked Ruby.

"After the mines incident. But I've had them before when I was ten. Maybe I should ask Archie about it..." replied Ris.

"They say that dreams are memories of another life." said someone from behind Ris. She turned around to be faced with Graham.

"When did you turn into a philosopher?" asked Ris.

"Can I talk to you, Ris?" asked Graham.

"Oh no. Nothing that starts with "can I talk to you" ends up well." said Ris, but she got off her chair at the booth and sat where Graham led her.

"The order still applies, do not snatch the opportunity to get lazy." said Ris to Ruby. Ruby snorted and got to the kitchen, her boredom being painfully obvious.

"So, what do you wanna talk about?" asked Ris. Graham looked at her with a deadly serious look.

"I kissed Emma." said Graham. Ris waited for a moment, just in case Graham had anything else to say. But when he didn't, she started laughing.

"That's what this is about? It's not like you don't know the drill. Boy likes girl, girl likes boy..."

"I know, I know what you want to say. But that's not the point. When I kissed her, I... Had a flash." he said.

"What kind of flash?" asked Ris, oficially intrigued.

"It felt like a dejavu. Like I've seen it before. But at the same time... I haven't." he said.

"What did you see in these flashes?"

"A wolf. A white one." said Graham. Ris smirked at that.

"Who belives about the wolf now?"

"Really? You're still holding a grudge about it?"

"You arrested Emma for drunk driving. I'm never getting over it."

"Whatever. Back to the point. I encountered Mr Gold today at the woods when I went after the wolf."

"Wait, what? You went after the wolf?"  
"Yeah, it looked so real... Am I losing it?"

"Debatable... What did Gold tell you?"

"That dreams are memories of another life."

"Seriously? That's where all that bullshit came from? And why does that man wants to be involved in everything?"

"It does make sense..."

"You sound like Henry."

"What?"

"You know what? Just forget about it. I think you should just... Take a few days off. Emma can take over as sheriff and I can be deputy." said Ris. Graham threw her a look.

"You're actually expecting me to trust you as deputy?" he asked.

"Well, you did come to me about your flashes. Why did you do that anyway?"

"Because... You wouldn't think I'm crazy." said Graham. Ris raised her eyebrow at his sudden need for heart to heart, but gave him an approving look.

"After all, _you_ are the definition of crazy." he said, ruining it all. Ris grabbed the menu from the table and hit him over the head with it.

"Go to hell Graham." she told him.

 **A/N:**

 **Damn it Ris! You and your dilemas! LOL!** **Here's the update, hope you enjoyed, I really didn't know how to make the Dark Castle scene work, I've been working on it for ages and I'm still not sure about it.** **I'm still thinking of changing that scene... So tell me if I should or shouldn't, I'm in an even bigger dilema than Ris's!**

 **1.) Was it really _him_ that performed the magic?;-) **

**2.) Drunk Ris was back in this chap! So yay for that!**

 **3.) Hmmm, what could Ris** **be** **possibly dreaming of?**

 **4.) Dr Whale got his ass kicked!:-) I really enjoyed writting this scene.  
**

 **Thank you for the favorites/follows and thank you SwingingOnAStar, Lolo314 and Blacklab369 for reviewing! Until next time, please leave your review and that's that. Until next Time!:-D  
**


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 19**

"Swan, you have a moment?" asked Ris as soon as she entered the police station. She was surprised to see Regina there. She had her usual "I'll kill you slowly and painfully" look on her face, which she was always trying to cover with a fake smile.

"Is it just me, or is some extreme tension going on in here?" asked Ris.

"Not at all Miss Silver, I was just making things clear for Miss Swan. Enjoy the rest of your day." said Regina and walked past Ris, intentionally pushing her as she walked out. Emma grabbed one of the fallen darts and pretended throwing one on Regina.

"Do it please. You'd be doing me and the entire town a favor." said Ris and she sat on Emma's chair, placing her legs up on the desk.

"What did the big bad mayor want this time?" she asked.

"She wanted me to stay away from Graham." said Emma, and she restarted her game of darts.

"This reminds me of high school. New dorky girl falls for the hottest guy in school, who happens to be the biggest bitch's boyfriend. But don't worry. Dorky girl gets the guy in the end, like always. It's a cliche. And Regina will probably get hit by a bus." commented Ris.

"Meet the Regina George of Storybrooke." said Emma, laughing at the referance.

"See? Even her name matches. You're totally getting the guy in the end." said Ris.

"I do not _want_ to have the guy." said Emma, throwing her dart with agression... And missing the target.

"Mhm, sure. Keep telling yourself that, Swan."

"Changing subject, Mary Margaret had an one night stand with Whale. Can you belive it?" asked Emma.

"I'm three steps ahead of you. I caught him sneaking out of the house yesterday. At least I found an excuse to finally beat him up."

"You beat him up? Really?"

"He annoys me. Anyways, Graham doesn't seem so good these days. I talked to him at Granny's and I can't even sum up the nonsense I heard."

"What nonsense?"

"Something about another life... I don't know what he meant by that, but he said he saw a wolf."

"Wow. So he decided to belive us about that."

"That's what I said. Do you think there's something wrong with him?"

"There's definetely something wrong with him."

"Perhaps you should... You know, step up and talk to him. I think he'll listen to you."

"I'm not talking to Graham."

"Why? Because he kissed you?"

"No, because apparently he's someone else's property."

"Since when did you start listening to the big bad mayor?"

"I haven't. But I'd like to belive that I'm not a homewrecker."

"You wouldn't be a homewrecker. Just a cockblocker. The relationship between the big bad mayor and the idiot isn't healthy. They are screwing each other with Henry in the house. It was never meant to last. So step into the picture and cockblock it now that you can."

"Ris, I'm not getting involved in this. It's bad enough that that my time with Henry is as limited as it is, I'm not giving her another excuse to keep me away."

"But..."

"No buts. It's final." said Emma, throwing the final dart at the center, making the other darts fall in the process.

* * *

Mary Margaret was really surprised when sheriff Graham had showed up in her classroom. He had been acting really weird lately, maybe it was because of the fact that Emma had rejected him when he kissed her. But it wasn't just that. He was talking about things like... Another life. Stuff that only Henry would say. That made the teacher really worried. That was why her phone was in her hand and her finger was about to press the "Call Emma" button. Her blonde friend could help Graham get over what he was going through, whatever that was. Graham had feelings for her, it was obvious to everyone, so he would listen to her.

"Hello?" said Emma when she picked up.

"Emma, are you at the station?" asked Mary Margaret.

"Yeah, playing darts and losing to Ris. What's up?" said Emma.

"It's Graham. I think there's something wrong with him."

"Not this again... I already heard it once."

"No, I mean like... Really wrong. He was talking about another life where he tried to hurt me, a thing that I definetely can't recall."

"He should hang out with Henry. I'm not helping him."

"That's the thing, I think he's going to Henry for advise. Emma... This is crazy. Please talk to him. Take Ris with you as well. Just make sure he's alright. I'm worried."

Mary Margaret heard Emma sigh, her annoyance being pretty obvious.

"Ris. Are you up for talking some sense into Graham's head?" said Emma to Ris from the other line.

"Oh, so after M&M asks you the same thing I did you are willing to do it?" said Ris.

"Pretty much."

"Whatever, hell yes I'm in for disobeying the big bad mayor's orders." said Ris. Mary Margaret laughed a little before she realized what her friend had just said.

"Wait, what orders?" she asked.

"We'll see you when we get back." said Emma and hung up.

Mary Margaret sighed. She wanted to be involved in... What would Ris call it? The badass group. After all, she needed her friends while getting over... No one. She wasn't getting over anyone because there was nothing to get over. The one who should not be named was just a short excitement for something she could never have.

* * *

 _ **The Enchanted Forest**_

 _ **A Long Time Ago...**_

"So, are we going to leave or what?" _he_ asked for the third time. Clarissa had already considered her options. It was way too dangerous to get back inside the castle with that beast trying to kill her. She didn't want to risk her life yet another time.

"I'm going back in the castle." she said. The danger did not matter to her. She was far from being a good person, she knew that very well. But Robin had belived her, trusted her, even though he was suspicious of her about Marian's poisoning. "And you're going to get me in there." she added. He laughed, as if her giving him orders was funny.

"And why would I do that?" he asked. She smirked, thinking of the words she'd say very carefully.

"Because it's the game." she said, trying to mimick his accent. "It's not over yet. You're getting me in there and the game will finally be over. And we'll never have to see each other ever again." she said. For a few moments, he just stared at her. She couldn't really identify his expression. A part of him looked surprised. But there was another strange gleam in his eyes. It almost looked like... Admiration. No, it couldn't be. He only liked himself and was only proud of himself... A few moments later, he smirked and approached Clarissa with a somewhat proud smile.

"I knew you would say that. I knew you'd try to be the hero." he said.

"I'm not trying to be anything. I just want Robin saved. Take me back in there." ordered Clarissa.

"What makes you think I can do that?"

"You can do anything. As you have more than enough times reminded me."

"Yes, as you said, I can do almost everything. But even my powers have limits. Why do you think I sent you off here and didn't come myself?" he asked.

"And what could possibly be limiting your power, your highness?" she asked, her lips forming a mocking smile.

"A protection spell. For people with no shadows."

"There's only one person that has no shadow. And that's you. Why would the Dark One want to prevent you from going there, do you two have a past or something?" asked Clarissa. She thought she saw something changing on his facial expression at the mention of the Dark One. It appeared that they did indeed have a past. But he was in no mood to talk.

"Our paths have crossed. After all , there is no one that has never encountered the Dark One, even once in his life."

"How am I getting in the castle?" asked Clarissa, losing her patience.

"Are you really asking me that?" he asked. She looked at him, waiting for him to enlighten her. He sighed in frustration, admitting defeat.

"Magic, Clarissa. You have to use your own magic, just like you did inside the castle." he said, angrily.

"What? That was you, don't play games with me."

"Although I do enjoy games, I'm speaking the truth. I saved you from your fall, which by the way was a stupid thing to do, but what you did inside, that was all you."

"I don't have magic. I never did."

"That's true. You weren't born with it, but that doesn't mean you can't have it. Especially after a certain special object entered your system about ten years ago."

"The mushroom..." said Clarissa, realizing where the magic was coming from...

"Now you're getting it." he said with a smirk.

"Okay, let's say that I do have magic. I have no idea how to use it. You remember all of my fail attempts back there, right?"

"I do. But you had no motive at the time. Now you do. You care about Robin Hood and Marian, and you don't want to see them hurt, do you?"

"I don't. That's why I'm getting him out and he'll get to heal Marian from the poison that _you_ gave her!" said Clarissa, yelling tha last part. She had almost forgotten about Marian, being wrapped up in saving Robin and herself, of course.

"Smart girl. You figured that out."

"I'm not even going to ask why you did this. For some reason, you seem to be taking some sick pleasure watching me and other people suffer. But I don't care. Now tell me how I get back in there dammit!" she said. He smirked in satisfaction, looking down on her necklace. Well, not exactly necklace, it was a small container tied on a piece of rope. It was where she held her squid ink. Clarissa looked at it as well. The container that was previously empty, was once again filled with the magical ink, glowing in a shiny blue color.

"Did I do that?" she asked.

"Told you. All you." he said. Clarissa looked up and back at him.

"If this is some kind of trick..."

"It's not, Rissy. Magic is trigered by emotions. Or, in your case, hatred. For what I did to Marian. I knew you'd do it, I didn't doupt you for a second." he said.

"Was that why you poisoned Marian? You knew that was coming?"

"It's all part of our game. We're leading it, Rissy, the others are just our chess pieces."

"I'm not leading any game, Pan. I'm just doing what it takes to save my brother. To save Baelfire from the danger that you've put him in." said Clarissa. Pan's facial expression didn't change. But he did look annoyed by her stubborness.

"Well, now that that's settled, let's see what your magic can do." he said.

"How do I do that?"

"Close your eyes, and listen to my instructions."

Clarissa did as she was told, although reluctantly. She closed her eyes as she wished that this wasn't just another game...

* * *

 _ **Storybrooke**_

 _ **Present Time...**_

"Ris?" called Emma's voice from the driver's seat. Ris shook her head and returned back to reality. What the hell was that? Had Graham infected her with his latest worries?

"Yeah, sorry, I just spaced out a little." she said.

"Are you alright? You've been doing that a lot lately." said Emma, not taking her eyes off the road.

"It's fine. It's just Henry and his book crap getting in my head." replied Ris as the yellow bug stopped in front of the mayor's house.

"If only you were the only one..." said Emma and opened the car door.

"What are you going to tell Graham?" asked Ris.

"I don't know yet. But I'm going to yell at him big time."

"I can't wait to see that." said Ris. The moment she said that was the moment Graham exited Regina's house. Emma immediately made her presence known to him.

"Hey. I'm hearing you're having a rough day." she said.

"Who says?" asked Graham.

"Ris, Mary Margaret, pretty much everyone. I think maybe you need to go home and get some rest." said Emma. Graham looked back at the car where Ris was leaning on, and glared at her.

"You told her?" he asked.

"Yes. And no, you don't get to be mad at me, I was just trying to help." said Ris, raising up her hands in defense.

"I'm fine. There's nothing to worry about." said Graham.

"No, Graham, you're not fine. You just went to see a ten year old for help."

"And that ten year old was not even Dora the explorer." said Ris.

"Shut up." said Ris and Graham at the same time.

"Synchronization? Really? Now I get what you see in each other." said Ris, rolling her eyes. Thankfully, Emma and Graham decided to ignore her.

"What's going on? What's really going on?" asked Emma.

"It's my heart, Emma. I need to find it." said Graham.

"Okay. So, how are you going to do that?" asked Emma.

"I just need to follow the wolf."

"What? What wolf?"

"From my dreams. It's going to help me find my heart."

"Wait, what? This is true talking?" asked Ris.

"I thought we were talking in a metaphor here. You really think you don't have a heart?" asked Emma.

"It's the only thing that makes any sense. It's the only thing that explains why I don't feel anything." replied Graham.

"Listen to me, Graham. You have a heart. I can prove it." said Emma, and she moved her hand towards Graham's chest. Ris sensed a weird vibe from these two. She felt some discomfort, and she knew Emma was silently telling her to get in the car. So she did just that. But she watched the exchange from the car mirror when she turned it to their direction. She smiled as she saw Emma moving Graham's hand to his chest, probably to prove him that he had a heart. Ris knew that Emma wouldn't normally do something like that when she was around. _She must really like Graham._ She thought. She turned the mirror a little more in order to get a better view. But something else caught her eye. She turned the mirror even more to take a good look at it. It was the wolf. The wolf that made Emma crush the bug to the "Welcome to Storybrooke" sign about a month ago. She immediately got out of the car, interrupting Emma and Graham's moment.

"Guys check that out." she said and pointed at the wolf, who was right across the street. Both Emma and Graham turned to see the wolf.

"You can see it?" asked Graham, at both Ris and Emma.

"Do you think I'd point at the emptiness?"

"I see it too." said Emma, not beliving what she was seeing. She shared a look with Graham before she started running after the wolf along with him.

"Hey! Don't leave me behind!" yelled Ris and tried to catch up with them. She did quickly, since she was always good at running.

"That's the wolf from your flashes?" asked Ris while running behind Graham.

"Yes, it wants me to find my heart." replied Graham and ran even faster. The three of them followed th wolf to the graveyard, where it stopped and briefly howled. It then ran farther into the graveyard. The three of them kept following the animal. They eventually lost sight of it, and ended up stopping in front of a crypt.

"That went well." said Ris, trying to catch her breath. Graham looked up at a symbol above the crypt's entrance. Ris looked at it as well.

"What's that?" she asked.

"It's my heart. It's in there." said Graham and he took out a flashlight. "I have to look in there."

"Oh, no! Stop. Stop." said Emma, and grabbed Graham's arm to prevent him from going anywhere.

"I have to get in there, please-" said Graham.

"Graham, come on! You really think that your heart is in there?" asked Emma.

"Swan, just leave him be. He'll go, see nothing's in there and then leave." said Ris, getting annoyed with Emma's persistence. Nothing could convince Graham that he did indeed have a heart. So they might as well let him find out himself.

"Ris is right, if you don't agree, go." said Graham. Emma looked at the both of them, who were suddenly against her, and admitted defeat. She pushed past them and walked to the crypt's entrance. She tried to open it, but when she failed, she kicked it open. She then looked at Ris and Graham and nodded at them.

"Let's find your heart." said Emma with a mocking tone. **  
**

 **A/N:**

 **1.) DUN DUN DUN!** **(About the flashback.) Although some had already guessed who she was. I wasn't originally going to just say it, but I figured that since most already knew it... Now you can do an evil laugh and yell "I KNEW IT!" all you want.;-).**

 **2.) I know I said the flashback would be done, but there's some more to it. I thought I could include everything, but the chapters would turn out kind of huge, and I haven't completely planned the next series of flashbacks, which will be set in Boston and London.**

 **3.) Coming up next chapter: Lots and lots of tissues. I can't belive I already got there *sniffs*.**

 **4.) What do you think of the reveal about who she is? And if you already knew that, were you glad you were right?**

 **Thank you for the favorites/follows, and thank you Lolo314 and Book of Hope for reviewing! Keep them coming! Until next time!:-D  
**


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: I'm such an idiot, I forgot to write that in the last chapter. Ris didn't recognise Rumple in the flashback because Pan made her forget him. I'll obviously explain why he did it, but I don't know when that will be, so in case anyone was wondering... Here it is. Enjoy!:-)**

 **Chapter 20**

Emma, Ris and Graham entered the crypt, where Graham's heart was supposed to be in. Graham turned on his flashlight and quickly brought light to each side of the crypt, examining it to see if there was anything there.

"It's gotta be here, somewhere." he said and immediately started looking through the walls and shelves.

"This room looks like Regina's heart..." commented Ris.

"Excuse me?" asked Emma.

"Dark, rusty and old as if it has never been used. Which I doupt it has."

"The crypt?"

"No. Her heart."

"We'll have to agree on that. Although we already know a person without a heart." said Emma.

"Don't mock me. I'll find it." said Graham and kept looking.

"God, you look like a crazy person. If only I had a camera right now to get that on youtube..." said Ris.

"Do you ever stop talking?" asked Graham, still not driving his attention away from looking for his heart.

"She doesn't. I've tried it mutiple times." said Emma and pretended to look through some shelves as well.

"Guys, there's nothing in here. Can we go now, please? This place gives me more creeps than Snow White's scary adventures in Disneyland." said Ris.

"No, no, no. I need to find it. There's got to be a hidden door. A lever." said Graham, checking an urn from the shelves. Emma lost her patience with Graham, she was really worried about him.

"Hey, Graham. Listen. There's nothing in here." said Emma, looking him in the eye.

"There has to be... If there isn't..." started Graham.

"It's okay. It's going to be okay." said Emma, soothingly, as if she was trying to calm a crying baby.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" said a voice from outside the crypt.

"Shit, it's the big bad mayor..." muttered Ris. She was the first to exit the crypt, raising up her hands in surrender.

"Whatever you think is going on in there, Gina, it's not what you think. Definetely not what you think." said Ris. Emma and Graham followed her example and exited the crypt.

"What are _you_ doing here?" asked Emma.

"Bringing flowers to my father's grave like I do every Wednesday." said Regina.

"So you do have a heart." said Ris.

"Don't blame them. It's my fault. I wanted to look in there." said Graham, defending his friend and his crush.

"Really? Why? What were you looking for?" asked Regina.

"Nothing. It was, uh… It was nothing." said Graham, finally realizing that the whole heart thing was ridiculous.

"You don't look well, dear. Let's take you home." said Regina, not giving two shits about Emma and Ris who were still standing there. Regina grabbed Graham's arm and started pulling him along with her, forgetting all about her father's grave.

"Of course, lap dog number one." muttered Ris, disappointed at Graham for jumping to the easy choice that was Regina. Again. But as soon as she said that, Graham pulled his arm away from Regina, breaking free of her grasp.

"Regina, I… I don't want to go home. Not with you." said Graham. Ris smirked at that, her interest finally caught.

"Oh? But you'll go with her. Or her." said Regina, pointing at Ris and Emma, looking more frustrated at Emma than Ris, since she knew of Graham's feelings for her.

"This is not a love triangle. Or square, in that case. Emma and I had nothing to do with this." said Ris.

"She's right. This is between you and Graham, we're not trying to control him like you do." added Emma.

"I'm not controlling anyone, Miss Swan. Graham makes his own decisions." said Regina and she turned back to Graham. "Now let's go." said Regina, and although she said she wasn't controlling anyone, her words sounded like a threat.

"No, Regina. Things need to change between us." said Graham.

"And I wonder why that is all of a sudden." said Regina.

"It has nothing to do with her. You know, I've realized that I don't feel anything, Regina. And I know now it's not me. It's you." said Graham.

"Halelujah..." said Ris. Her comment did not go unnoticed by Regina, who glared at her.

"So you're leaving me for her?" she asked, looking at Emma.

"I'm leaving you for me." said Graham. Both Ris and Emma looked at Graham with admiration, surprised that he got the courage to drop this bomb to Regina. The big bad mayor on the other hand did not take it so well. She tried once more to convince Graham not to end things between them.

"Graham, you're not thinking straight." she whispered to Graham so that only he could listen, but still Emma and Ris still heard it. They waited eagerly for Graham's response.

"Actually, for the first time, I am. I'd rather have nothing than settle for less. Nothing? Is better than what we have. I need to feel something, Regina, and the only way to do that is to give myself a chance." he said.

"You couldn't have said it more beautifully." said Ris, smiling in victory. Finally, that idiot had done something right. Regina did not take that statement so well.

"Are you actually taking joy in other people's misery, Miss Silver?" she asked, glaring harder than ever.

"No. Just yours." replied Ris.

"What have I ever done to you to deserve this hatred?" asked Regina, trying to make it look like Ris was the bad guy. Ris had already thought of a reply, but Emma beat her to it.

"I can read between the lines, you don't give two craps about what Ris thinks. That question was for me." she said.

"Yes, you are quite right, Miss Swan. What have I done to have you keep coming after everything I hold dear." said Regina, her eyes almost tearing up, but Ris and Emma knew it was fake.

"Please, you didn't hold him dear, you only held his dick dear." said Ris, starting to grow frustrated.

"Fistly, shut up, you are in a cemetery." said Graham to Ris. He then turned to Regina. "And I told you, it's not her." he added.

"None of this happened until these two came here." said Regina, angrily.

"I'm sorry. Did you ever stop to think that maybe the problem isn't with us, but with you?" said Emma, tired of hearing the bullshit.

"Excuse me?" asked Regina.

"Henry came and found me. Graham kissed me and went to Ris when he needed help. Both were miserable. Maybe, Madam Mayor, you need to take a good hard look in the mirror and ask yourself why that is. Why is everyone running away from you?" said Emma. Ris smiled a lot during that statement.

"Burn." she said. She wanted to say something smartass as well, but she didn't have time to do so after Regina punched Emma in the face. Ris made a sound surprise while the blonde fell on Graham.

"Regina!" yelled Graham. Emma did not take the mayor's attack so well. She punched Regina in the face even harder than she had.

"You go, Swan!" said Ris.

Graham tried to stop her, but Ris made no move to do so. The bitch had it coming the second they had met her. Emma grabbed Regina and pushed her against the side of the crypt, ready to hit her again. Graham also got up and tried to split them up.

"Stop!" he yelled, trying to pull Emma away from Regina.

"Alright, Swan that's enough cat fight for one night." said Ris. She didn't want to tend any bruises that would form on her friend's face after this. Graham eventually managed to seperate them. Emma was about to attack Regina again, but Ris grabbed her arm and stopped her.

"Do not drop down on her level. I'm all for violence, but she's not worth a bruised face." she said. Emma calmed down after her friend's advise. She looked at Regina, trying to decide whether to follow it or not.

"You're not worth it." she said and walked away.

"That's right Swan. You're the better person, you are the man." said Ris and followed behind her. Graham quickly caught up with them and chose to walk next to Emma.

"You did the right thing, Graham. You should've dumped her ass a long time ago." said Ris.

"I know." said Graham. "But better late than never." he added.

"I'm heading to Granny's. How about I buy us some drinks?" said Ris.

"With what money?" asked Emma.

"Yours. Why do you think I invited you for?" said Ris. Graham and Emma laughed at Ris's attempt to lighten up the mood.

"Here." said Emma and tossed Ris her bug's keys. She then opened her wallet and took out a few cash and handed them to her as well. "Take my bug and drink all you want. I'm heading to the station, I don't wanna go home just yet." said Emma. Graham smiled while looking at Emma's face during that statement.

"You guys are so adorable that I wanna barf. Anyway, I'm leaving now. Have fun at the station. But do not bring the party home. At least not _our_ home, Swan. You can do anything you want in Graham's." said Ris and winked before she turned to leave. Emma rolled her eyes and turned the other way to leave.

"Ris, wait a second." said Graham, grabbing her arm while Emma started walking away.

"Better hurry, or you'll miss the girl." said Ris.

"Thank you. For everything, keeping my secret, helping me out when I asked you for advise..."

"Being the perfect company and the most amazing dart competition you've ever had..." added Ris.

"Yeah, that too." said Graham with a laugh.

"Okay, please do not continue, or you'll make this already cheesy moment even cheesier." said Ris.

"And of course for the comic relief that you have been in this entire situation."

"Comic relief? What is that supposed to mean?"

"Have a drink for me at Granny's!" said Graham and left in a hurry, probably running after Emma.

"We'll definetely talk about this tommorow, idiot!" yelled Ris from behind, but she couldn't keep a small laugh from escaping her mouth. Finally, things were the way they were supposed to be the moment she and Emma had set foot in this cursed town...

* * *

 _ **The Enchanted Forest**_

 _ **A Long Time Ago...**_

"I can't." said Clarissa and opened her eyes.

"Sure you can. You just need to focus more on your emotions and quit spacing out. You made the squid ink work again, surely you can teleport yourself inside the castle." said Pan. Clarissa closed her eyes again and tried to concentrate.

"Can you give me a hint on which emotion I should focus on? My eagerness to save Robin and Bae, or my urge to use the squid ink on you and throw you off a cliff?" she said. She heard Pan laugh, as he always did when she expressed her hatred for him.

"Cute. Why don't you focus on Baelfire. Your older... Or is it younger brother? Sorry, I always get confused with the entire mushroom thing..." said Pan. Clarissa opened her eyes and glared at him.

"Do not lose concentration. Let's try something else. Close your eyes again."

Clarissa sighed in anger, but she did as she was told.

"Imagine Baelfire in that cave of his. Waiting for you to get back after succeeding your mission. And finally the two of you can get to the Land Without Magic for a new start." said Pan. He paused for a few seconds to see if his words had any ompact. Clarissa remained where she was.

"Keep talking." she ordered.

"Do not speak, you are ruinning your concentration."

"How are you doing this every bloody day?"

"Do you ever stop talking, Rissy?"

"No. So if you want to keep me quiet, talk."

Pan rolled his eyes at her stubborness. That was after all the thing he enjoyed the most about the girl.

"Now imagine the Lost Boys, being led by Felix, standing outside that cave. Waiting patiently for my command to get inside and capture him after you have failed."

"Which I won't."

"Do not speak. Do you know why you'll fail? Because you chose to help some worthless thief that you only knew for one week, instead of going back to your brother, whom you've known for a lifetime, and finally get your life in your own hands."

Clarissa didn't speak, which was a good sign, but she still couldn't teleport herself in the castle.

"And do you know what will happen? You'll get caught by the Dark One, who is probably looking for you right now. He'll finish what he started by killing you off, as he'll do to the thief, Marian will never be cured, and Baelfire will be at the mercy of the Lost boys, who will be more than happy to throw him in a cage and straight to the Echo Caves. Where he will stay at forever. And you'll die knowing that it was all your fault." he said. Clarissa opened her eyes. She looked frustrated.

"Is that supposed to help me? Discouraging me in such a cruel way? Guess what, Pan. I won't fail. I'll get back inside that castle, Robin will get out, Marian will be saved and I'll get everything I wanted for my brother and myself since we set foot in this cursed island. And you'll have to watch me do it, and when I come back I'll rub it in your face and yell at you that I told you so!" said Clarissa. She then waved her hand and disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

Pan smirked at that. The girl would always be his favorite entertainment, with her sharp tongue, her spunk and her anger issues. She was the only one to ever defy him and talk back at him, and as frustrating as it could be sometimes, she always managed to amuse him. Rissy still had a long way ahead of her before she got off the island. Twelve years at least...

* * *

Belle let out a yell of surprise as the female thief reappeared before her in a cloud of smoke. Belle really hoped that she had already ran off, so that Rumplestiltskin wouldn't find her. He was already out looking for her and make her suffer the same fate as her friend had. Which was a slow painful death. But instead there she was, back in there as if she had a death wish.

"I'm not back to fight." said the girl, raising her hands in surrender.

"Then what are you doing back here? The Dark One could appear any minuite now, you should go." said Belle, pointing at the still shattered window, from where the girl had escaped the last time.

"I just want my friend Robin back. I know you do not agree with his punishment and I saw that you tried to stop that monster from killing us. So please, could you keep quiet and let me take him and get him home?" asked the girl. Belle let the girl's words sink into her mind. Of course she had tried to help them, that was the right thing to do. But she didn't know if she had the power to defy him. She knew of his anger, what if he got really mad and decided to kill her... What the hell was she thinking? She had chosen to be that beast's slave to save her kingdom from the ogres. She wasn't going to let an innocent suffer because of fear.

"I'll help you." she said. The girl smiled in relief. Belle could tell that she meant no harm when she broke in the first time, and she certainly didn't now.

"Where is Robin?" asked the girl.

"The Dark One has him in chains and locked in a cell. But it has a protection spell around it. Magical beings can't enter." said Belle.

"But you can. Can you unlock his chains and let him out?"

"I don't have the key. And I can't break them, not without magic."

"You said magical beings can't enter. But what about magical objects?"

"I don't know..."

The girl unchained her necklace and handed it to Belle. Her necklace contained something that looked like blue dust.

"Is this fairy dust?" asked Belle. The girl made a disguasted face.

"Of course not. Fairies are not to be trusted. Especially blue ones... This is squid ink. It helped me get in the castle and it surely can help you get Robin out of his chains."

"How do I use it?"

"Just pour some on the chains. The ink will make them disappear, just like it did to the castle's entrance." said the girl. Belle gripped the squid ink and nodded.

"Okay. You wait here. I won't be long." she said and headed towards the thief's cell. When she opened the door, the thief, Robin, looked up at her while struggling to escape, probably expecting more torture.

"Did he send you to finish the job?" asked Robin.

"No. Not at all. I was sent to let you go." said Belle, opening the squid ink container.

"What? The beast is showing mercy?"

"No. Your friend came back for you. And I couldn't let this continue. It is inhuman." said Belle as she carefully poured squid ink on the chains of his right arm.

"Clarissa? How did she survive that fall?" asked Robin.

"She had magic. Didn't you know about it?" said Belle. His arm fell down on his side as the chains disappeared. "It worked. You are gonna be okay."

"What is that?"

"I think Clarissa called it squid ink."

"Is Clarissa alright?"

"She's fine, don't worry about it. The Dark One is out searching for her, he won't be back until he finds her."

"What will you do when he comes back? He'll turn his wrath on you."

"If he does, I'll stand up to the beast that he is, because no one... no one deserves to be tortured." said Belle as she poured squid ink to the rest of the chains.

"Well, he may beg to differ." said Robin and he rubbed his arm when it got free of the chains.

"Well, I don't care. He doesn't frighten me. Hurry up. He'll be back soon. Hurry." said Belle. Robin gave her a grateful smile and he headed to the door. But he stopped and turned back to Belle once more.

"But he will... He will kill you. Unless... Unless you run away with me and Clarissa." he said.

"I can't run. I made a deal to serve him, in exchange for him protecting my kingdom and my family from the Ogres. If I were to leave, I might survive, but my family surely won't." said Belle.

"All I can do is wish you luck... Where is Clarissa?"

"She's waiting at the main hall. I'll get you to her." said Belle and she led Robin out of the cell.

Clarissa was still waiting where Belle had left her. The girl ran to Robin as soon as she saw him.

"Are you alright? Oh God, you are soaked in blood, what did that monster do to you?" she asked.

"It doesn't matter. Are _you_ okay?"

"I've been better..."

Tell me you have a fast way out of here." said Robin.

"You think I'd come back if I didn't?" said Clarissa. She looked at Belle from behind Robin. "Thank you. For, you know, helping. What's your name again?"

"Belle." replied Belle.

"Are you sure you don't want to come with us?" asked Robin.

"I'm sure. Now go before he comes back." said Belle.

"Alright, here it goes..." said Clarissa and she closed her eyes. She grabbed Robin's arm and as soon as she did they both disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

* * *

 _ **Storybrooke**_

 _ **Present Time...**_

Ris entered Granny's, ready to get drunk. But she regreted it as soon as she entered. David was sat on a booth there, thankfully he was alone. No Kathryn around. But still, Ris had decided not to talk to him ever again after what he did to Mary Margaret. That dickhead had made poor M&M have sex with Whale of all people...  
"Hey, Ris." said David, akwardly. He probably guessed that Mary Margaret had already told her of what had happened. Ris spared David a look. A glare actually.

"I'm not talking to you." she said and she sat on the booth in front of Ruby. "The usual." she said.

"Coming right up." said Ruby and she went to the kitchen.

When Ris had a sip of her first drink, David walked over there and he sat on a chair next to her. Ris pretended to bang her head on the booth in annoyance.

"What do you want, Dave? I said I'm not talking to you."

"You already did." said David.

"Crap... I always do that. You know, talking." said Ris.

"I've noticed."

"Unless you want to play a nice game of darts, I'm not interested in whatever you have to say."

"Look, I'm sorry for what I did to Mary Margaret. I was just trying to do the right thing..."

"The right thing for you to do would be not to lead her on. Do you know how sucky it must feel to have stupid morons like you telling girls that they want them and then change their mind?"

"I know I was a jerk. But I didn't do it to hurt her. My memories came back and..."

"That will sound totally dickish, but I don't give two fucks about your memories. You said the person that wanted Kathryn was gone and then you suddenly ran back to her ass. So please stop talking about doing the right thing." said Ris and she downed the rest of her drink. Before David could say anything, Ris's phone rang.

"I've gotta take this." said Ris and she got off the booth, heading outside.

"What now, Swan? Out of condoms?" joked Ris when she picked up the phone.

"It's Graham..." said Emma, her tone of voice revealing that she was crying.

A few moments later, Ris had marched back inside Granny's, she had grabbed the bug's keys and she headed outside again, forgetting all about paying for the drink. This was more important than a few bucks, she was panicked beyond limits. She couldn't remember the last time she was so afraid for someone in her life... Graham was in the hospital! He was at the station with Emma at first and then suddenly he found it hard to breathe... He was now at the hospital, with the doctors trying to save him.

David was asking her what was wrong from behind her, but she didn't care.

She got to the hospital in no time. Emma was sitting outside a room, where every doctor in the hospital seemed to be inside. Graham's room... Her friend's head was supported by her hands and she looked like a mess. Ris couldn't bear the sight. Emma barely ever cried, just like her. She actually couldn't even remember the last time she had ever cried, maybe it was when she was ten and she found out the definition of the word abandoned... But that record would need an upgrade. Because when she looked through the glass door of the hospital room, she felt a single tear running down her cheek. She could hear the beeping of the machine going steady and the line on the screen was turning completely straight. The doctors lowered their heads at their failure. Ris shook her head in denial. She couldn't, no, she _wouldn't_ belive that Graham was gone! The doctors would get on their butts and save him even if that meant they would die trying dammit!

Dr Whale was the first doctor to get out of the room.

"Why are you coming out? You're supposed to be saving him inside that room, go there now!" yelled Ris. Dr Whale looked at her with sadness in his eyes.

"Do not look at me like that, do your job and save him!" said Ris, her voice breaking a little at the end.

"I'm sorry... We did everything we could. But nothing's as strong as a heart attack, I'm really, really sorry, Ris." said Whale.

"Nothing's as strong my ass! He spent the entire day proving that he had a heart, he's not about to die to do that!" yelled Ris, more tears coming out.

"Ris, calm down..."

"No! I won't! This wasn't supposed to happen, he was supposed to get his happily ever after and walk off to the sunset while rose petals fell from the sky, he's not dying..." said Ris. Whale grabbed her shoulders to stop her from talking. He looked her in her tear soaked eyes in an attempt to make her face reality.

"He's already gone." he said.

Ris said nothing else. She just burried her face on Whale's shoulder as more tears formed in her eyes. Whale touched her shoulders in a conforting way, hoping that he could calm her down a little.

"It's gonna be okay." he said.

That was what he said to everyone. But he was wrong. Ris thought that she would never feel at home as much as she did in Storybrooke. People actually liked her there and she did too. She had lost friends, her family had abandoned her in the orphanage and her life sucked before she met Emma and got to Storybrooke. But she never actually had anyone die on her...

* * *

 **THIS CHAPTER IS DEDICATED TO MY SISTER. HAPPY BIRTHDAY DARLING!3**

 **A/N: *cries in a corner*. Oh, hey there. I'm supposed to write something here right? I'M SO SORRY! I cried writting this... I'm so mad at Regina right now, and I thought I was waaaay over Graham's death. He'll be missed... His funeral will be in the next chapter, obviously. I don't get why the writters never threw him one, he deserved a proper goodbye...**

 **I never thought I would get to the seventh episode... I never actually thought that I would get past the fourth one. I've basically completed the 1/3 of the season, which is awesome!**

 **SPOILERS FOR "THE DARK SWAN"!**

 **Off topic again, but I loved the premiere! Zelena craziness, Captain Cobra, Hook fucking everything up, Granny's went to Camelot and damn CLIFFHANGER! I swear, these guys will suffer from brain damage with their memories gone again for the third (or is it fourth) time? It didn't bother me at all, but I'm just saying... The only thing that annoyed me was that only Hook got to speak to Emma when she was about to kill Merida. I really wish it was Henry, I need some mother/son fluff! I mean, Captain Swan is Captain Swan, but Henry is Emma's son, he should've said something. But I guess boyfriendfamily...:-) And Whale is coming back?! Ruby as well? That could mean one thing... FRANKENWOLF! Nope, I still haven't given up on this ship. And do not get me started on Sleeping Warrior. Fangirling here!:-D**

 **Thank you for the favorites/follows and thank you SwingingOnAStar, Lolo314, time-twilight, Guest and Gee Brittany for reviewing! I think I replied to all of your reviews this time, I should really do that more often.:-) Hope you enjoyed the chapter! What do you think of Ris's reaction to Graham's death? I tried to make it realistic for someone that knew him for a month or two. Hope you still enjoy the story, please leave your review and that's that. Until next update...:-)  
**


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 21**

Archie was paying attention to the funeral. He was listening to everything the others had to say about sheriff Graham's passing. He was shocked when he found out that the sheriff was no longer living among them. He was really young and healthy... But as much displeased as he was, he couldn't help but drive his attention to the furious smoking brunette that was sitting on a bench a few feet away from time to time. Clarissa had stayed with the rest of the Storybrooke people until they got to the graveyard and everyone started saying a few words about the sheriff. At that moment, Clarissa had searched inside her purse for her cigarettes and she hadn't stopped smoking since then. She was lighting one cigarette after the other, she kinda looked like a maniac. So much for their sessions...

"Dr Hopper, would you like to say a word?" asked Mother Superior, knowing that Archie always had something nice to say.

"In a while. Someone else can take my turn." said Archie. He would say something a little later, he really wanted to check on Clarissa. He walked towards the bench she was sitting at, searching for another pack of cigarettes, since she was done with the first one.

"Clarissa." he greeted her. The girl looked up with an expressionless face. She had black circles underneath her eyes. Archie didn't know what had caused them. It could be sadness over Graham's death, since the two of them were good friends, or maybe it was because of the stress that her maniac-like smoking had increased.

"Cricket." greeted back Clarissa. She would always bring up Henry's theory about his fairytale identity, even at that moment...

"I saw you sitting here all alone and I thought that maybe you'd like to say a word?" said Archie.

"I wouldn't." said Clarissa.

"We- we even accept swear words." said Archie, knowing that what the girl wanted was to start bashing on pretty much everyone that was present at the graveyard.

"I don't want to say anything." she said. Archie knew that he should've left it there, but the concience inside him told him that he shouldn't just leave. He sat next to Clarissa, hoping that he could get something out of her if they talked a little more.

"I know you and the sheriff were friends. Good friends, judging by your current state. I think he would appreciate it if you at least heard a few words about him from the others." he told her.

"He wouldn't appreciate it because he has nothing to appreciate. He's dead. I'm over it." said Clarissa and she light another cigarette.

"I thought you were improving with your smoking problem after our sessions." said Archie, trying to drive the converstation away from Graham.

"I don't have a smoking problem." snapped the girl. Archie raised his eyebrow and he threw a pointy glance on all the finished cigarettes next to her.

"Alright, maybe I do. So what? Is the big bad mayor going to charge me for going down the Amy Winehouse road?" she said with an annoyed look.

"You're hurting yourself by doing that. Pretending not to care about sheriff Graham's passing, not bothering to talk about it, smoking like that at the time of his funeral..."

"I just don't want to talk about it. I don't wanna talk about how I thought that coming to Storybrooke would make a perfect new start. People actually like me here, at least half of them. For the first time in my life, I made friends with the police forces instead of having them hate me. And the moment I thought everything was perfect, BAM. Fucking heart attack. Drop dead sheriff Graham." she said, angrily. Her sentence started off with her talking with a normal tone of voice, but she eded up yelling a little at the last part. She ran her fingers through her hair and she took a deep breath in order to calm herself down. "There, that's what I'm feeling. Now that you took a long look into the depths of my apparently non existing heart, you can go." she said. Archie felt really bad. He never expected to see her that frustrated and he only knew her for two months or so. Dr Whale even mentioned that she had shed tears when she saw Graham dead at the hospital...

"I'll go. But remember, if you need someone to talk to, you can always ask for it during our sessions." said Archie.

"Okay. Can you go now?" said Clarissa. Archie sighed in disappointment, but he did as he was told and he left her alone. When he got back to the others, he glanced back at the girl to see her giving up on her smoking and leaning her back on the bench while rubbing her eyes tiredely. Ruby had better brace herself. Because Archie predicted that Ris wouldn't stop until she'd finish the entire liquor cabinet at Granny's...

* * *

"I'm going home. Are you coming?" asked Emma, as everyone else who was present at the funeral was starting to leave. Emma was in almost the exact same state Ris was. Only that Emma wasn't hiding it behind smoking and drinking.

"Nah. I'm staying a while. Off you go, Swan." replied Ris.

"Are you sure?" asked Emma, concerned about her friend's take of the situation.

"One hundrent percent. Go, I'll be home soon... Ish."

"Alright, but _do_ come home. Don't go to Granny's for late night drinking." said-no, ordered Emma.

"See you later mom." said Ris and she waved her hand, trying to dismiss Emma. Thankfully, the blonde left, as did everyone else, leaving Ris alone in the cemetery.

The girl looked around to make sure that she was indeed all alone. When no one made their presence known to her, she got up from the bench and she walked to Graham's grave. She just stood there, staring at the tombstone. _"In the memory of good friend Sheriff Graham Humbert."_ was what was written in there. Or at least what Ris could make out, since the sleepiness was starting to blur her vision.

"You know, two days ago you told me that I was the definition of crazy. And then I told you to go to hell." stated Ris, as if Graham was standing before her. "I didn't mean literally, you idiot." she added, with an angrier tone of voice. "And then, you told me about me being a comedic relief, or something like that. I promised that we would discuss this and we will right now." she said. She knew she sounded crazy. That was why she waited for the cemetery to clear out. She wanted some thing off her chest so that she could finally get some actual sleep at night.

"I don't get what you meant by that, did you want to say that I am useless? If that's so, you are a real jerk. And seriously, you were the comedic relief two days ago when we got here. _I need my heart, I need my heart_." said Ris, trying to mimick Graham's voice in the end.

"Who are you talking to?" asked someone, suddenly. Ris didn't even jump in surprise, she had already figured that he would come eventually... After the funeral itself that was. She just turned her head to face Mr Gold, who was approaching her with his cane.

"Myself. I do that when I have no one else to talk to." replied Ris. "What are _you_ doing here?" she asked and she turned her attention back to the tombstone.

"Isn't it obvious, I'm here to pay my respects to the sheriff of course." replied Gold.

"Well, you're late. So turn around and go." said Ris.

"The last time I checked, this was a public cemetery. I also own the town."

"You just love reminding that to people, don't you?"

"No need to feel envious. Sooner or later you'll have something to... How do you say it? Brag about, to the entirety of Storybrooke."

"And what is that?"

"Why being allies with the town's new sheriff of course. In two weeks time, the job will be all for Miss Swan to take."

"Allies? I'm pretty sure you mean friends."

"Friendships can be... Tricky, sometimes. People will betray you when you'll never expect it. You can't really trust anyone." said Gold. Ris raised her eyebrow at the old man's statement. She crossed her arms and turned to face him.

"What's that supposed to mean? Is it a warning or something?"

"You're overthinking really simple things, Miss Silver." said Gold, as he let some flowers to Graham's grave, as all of the Storybrooke citizens had done earlier.

"Have a good evening." he said, and he left without saying another word. He didn't want to waste his time with this girl anymore.

Over the past few days, he had figured out her Enchanted Forest identity. She was a thief. Well, an ally of a thief. He didn't know how come he hadn't noticed sooner. The sarcastic attitude, the spunk... Which didn't only remind him of that female thief... That was after all the reason he had let her live back in the Enchanted Forest, when she and her friend had stolen from his castle. But still, he didn't want to even entertain the thought that there was even a slight possibility of this girl being... No. There was no possibility. She was dead. And he had came to terms with that. In fact, he didn't even know why he was getting so worked up over a mere resemblance. He needed to focus on his original goal. Nothing would get on his way to find his son. His now only child...

* * *

 _ **The Enchanted Forest**_

 _ **A Long Time Ago...**_

Robin and Clarissa both appeared from another cloud of smoke at the exact same spot Clarissa had disappeared from. Their landing wasn't good. They both were pushed on the ground quite harshly by an invisible force. She really needed to practice magic... Not that she would use it again. The Land Without Magic didn't sound like a place that would inspire people to start casting spells...

"Ouch... That hurt." muttered Clarissa, rubbing her head where she had hit it. She looked around to spot where Robin had fallen at. He was a few feet away, getting up from the ground as well. She ran to his side and helped him on his feet. Robin looked around, as if he didn't belive that they had escaped. He then looked at her, and pointed an accusing finger.

"You had magic the entire time." he stated, more than asked.

"I did, I just didn't know how to use it." said Clarissa.

"And you learned how to use it during the half hour I was inside the castle." he said, not beliving what he was hearing. Clarissa opened her mouth to reply, but she stopped to reconsider her answer.

"Pretty much... Can we focus on how I came back and saved your life?" she said, when nothing else came to her mind.

"You, girl, are a crazy person." said Robin. Clarissa laughed at that. She was really used to hearing that ever since the mushroom...

"I've been told." she said. Robin rolled his eyes and he looked back at the castle with a longing look.

"We have to go back there." he said. Clarissa raised her eyebrow at that statement.

"And why would we do that?" she asked. Robin turned back to look at her with an angry expression.

"Because what can cure Marian is inside there. You got what you wanted from the Dark One, now you have to help me get the wand. We had a deal." he said. Clarissa smirked and she reached for something in her dress's pocket.

"There's nothing in that castle that we need. Because I have your solution right here." she said, and she took her hand out of her pocket. She was holding the wand that Robin needed to save Marian.

"How did you..." started Robin.

"You think I'm stupid? Why do you think I sent that maid to free you? I could've easily walked through the anti magic barrier. I wasn't born with magic, a certain object gave me powers." she said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"You just wanted her to be distracted..." realized Robin.

"Now you're getting me. Not so insane now, aren't I?" said Clarissa, rather immaturely. Robin approached the smiling girl, and he tried to get the wand from her. She pulled it away and hid it behind her back.

"Stop with the games, we had an agreement." he said.

"You need to thank me first." she said. She was enjoying this a little bit too much.

"Are you serious?" asked Robin, annoyed at the girl's playfulness. She nodded cheerfully, and he eventually gave up, rolling his eyes. "Thank you. You saved my life and Marian's and I'm really grateful." he said, although it sounded kind of forced. But he was a thief that stole from the rich to give to the poor. He was used to being thanked and not thanking others.

"You are very welcome, Robin of Locksley." she said and handed him the wand. He took it, and before Clarissa could get a chance to leave, he grabbed her arm to prevent her.

"Not so fast. You're coming with me. For all I know, this could be a trick to get me out of the way." said Robin.

"Seriously? After I saved your life and risked mine you're still not trusting me?" she asked.

"Yes. Now come. A carriage is waiting for us nearby. It's from the camp." said Robin.

"Wait, what? The camp? Are you insane? Yao will kill me as soon as he sees me, he thinks I caused his brother's death."

"Yao is not there. But he will be if I discover you're lying about the wand."

"Great..." said Clarissa.

* * *

"You know, it's still not too late to turn back." said Belle, as the beast walked in front of her, determined to kill both the thieves. "I'm not going to stand by and watch you kill two innocent people. The girl looks hardly seventeen, she's too young." she said. She knew she had seen something on his eyes when he was about to kill them at the castle. He didn't want to do it. Especially to the girl. He still had a heart, she knew it. He just needed to show it more often.

"Well, you're welcome to sit if you'd like. But you _are_ gonna watch." he said. "That's the whole point of our little expedition, remember? To see what your actions brought." he added.

Rumplestiltskin spotted the two scums that dared to steal from him. He would kill them both slowly and painfully, especially the girl. If it was even a girl and not a demon sent to expose his weaknesses. Not that he had any. But he just couldn't get over the fact that the girl looked so much like... No, he couldn't think of that. He would just kill them both and the entire story would be over.

"Found them." he said. He went closer to get a better view and Belle had no other choice but to follow. Robin and Clarissa were standing besides a tree. The girl looked rather bored, and although Belle couldn't hear anything from where she was, she could understand that she was complaining about something and Robin wasn't pleased about it.

"They look like they are waiting for someone." said Belle. At the same time, a carriage arrived and stopped when the rider saw Robin, who dragged a very unwilling Clarissa along with him. On the carriage, there was a woman lied down, looking very sick.

"That woman." said Belle, pointing at her.

"That must be the one he stole from the sheriff." said Rumplestiltskin.

"She's sick, she's going to die." said Belle, trying to make the beast feel at least a little sorry for Robin and Clarissa.

"Yes, and so are they."

"Stop!" said Belle, lowering the crossbow with the arrow that was about to be fired. They both watched as Robin used the wand on the sick woman. It appeared to heal her, since she regained the color on her previously pale skin. Robin smiled and so did Clarissa, who looked rather impressed by the wand's magic.

"I'm right about him, about why he stole the wand. He did it so he could heal the woman he loves. The girl is probably their child, or one's family, she was trying to help save her." said Belle.

"They are still thieves." said Rumplestiltskin. Than man was unbelivable...

"And she would have died if they hadn't stolen your wand."

"And now _they_ get to die! And she can tell all of Sherwood Forest what happens when you cross Rumplestiltskin. There!" he said, and in a second, Belle was burried on the ground from her waist down. She glared at him, and she fought to get out of there. But he didn't flinch.

"That should give you a good view." he said and he raised the crossbow.

"You don't have to do this. There's good in you. I was right about them, and I am right about you." said Belle. Rumplestiltskin tried to ignore her as he watched the woman getting up from the carriage, earning happy smiles from the thieves. His attention was only on the girl. He knew that smile... But it couldn't be, centuries had passed since she had died... He glanced back at the happy couple, to find out that the woman was pregnant. The devil was definetely conspiring against him... First Belle was sent to him, who was the exact opposite of himself and his previous love, Cora. But he was actually growing quite fond of her no matter how annoyingly naive and good she was... And then this... This girl was bringing him memories of a past that he wanted to forget. A past of a son being left fatherless...

"Look, she's pregnant. You are not the kind of man to leave a child fatherless." said Belle. That stupid girl... He would show her what kind of a man he was. He raised his bow, ready to fire and kill them both.

"No!" yelled Belle.

Rumplestiltskin didn't know what happened. All had been thinking about was how much he wanted the thieves to pay. But the arrow never reached them. Because he didn't want it to reach them. It hit the carriage, something that the thieves and the pregnant woman took as a wanring and they fled on the two horses of the carriage.

"What happened?" asked Belle.

"I missed." he lied. With a wave of his hand, Belle was out of the ground.

"Get back to the carriage. I'm bored of this forest."

"You're not going after them?" asked Belle, surprised.

"They are not worth the effort." he replied.

"You spared their life." said Belle. She was enjoying this...

"What? I did nothing of the sort."

"That bow has magic in it. It never misses its target."

"Well, perhaps the magic just simply wore... off." he said. Then Belle surprised him by wrapping her arms around him tightly. Rumplestiltskin felt weird... But in a good way. Normally he wouldn't allow anyone to be that close to him after Cora. But Belle was different, she was... Belle pulled away and she smiled at him. She said nothing else. She just headed to the carriage, leaving him behind, still surprised by the turn of events. And no matter how much he tried to deny it, it was a good turn of events.

* * *

"I have no words to thank you, Clarissa." said Marian, as Clarissa was getting ready to leave them.

"It was nothing. You'll just owe me for the rest of your lifes." joked Clarissa. Robin smiled at her sense of humor. He was glad that she wasn't a bad person after all. Marian was really happy. She always liked Clarissa, and she was glad that she had helped them and their unborn baby. She gave her a hug and she bid her goodbye before she got back on the horse and she waited for her husband. Robin gave Clarissa a grateful smile which she returned in her usual Clarissa way.

"You are a good person Clarissa. You are brave and you have honor." he said.

"I'm flattered." she said.

"Thank you for your help. I'll never forget it." he said, and he offered his hand to her for a friendly handshake.

"Thank you for not killing me." said Clarissa while shaking his hand.

"You're quite welcome. I wish you good luck with your new life with your brother."

"Thanks. I'll need it." she said.

They exchanged an assuring nod before they seperated. Robin left with his horse while Clarissa remained where she was, still staring where Robin and Marian had left from.

"Well, if that wasn't adorable." said a voice from behind her. She rolled her eyes as she turned to face Pan.

"Jealous?" she joked.

"Did you enjoy it?" asked Pan, ignoring her comment.

"Enjoy what?"

"Using magic. I saw you back there with Robin Hood. You were all games and sassiness. Careful, I think you'll soon start becoming more like me." he said with a smirk.

"It doesn't matter. Because I'm leaving and I'll never see your face again." she said, enjoying every single word.

"We'll see about that." said Pan.

"Are we going?" asked Clarissa.

"Say the words." said Pan, knowing how much she hated them.

"I don't want to say the words."

"Come on, one last time before you leave."

She sighed in annoyance, but she would leave soon, so it didn't matter.

"Second star to the right..." she started.

"And straight on till morning." he completed, grabbing her arm while summoning the shadow.

"Okay, what's the point of me saying the words if you're not letting me finish my sentance?"

"Quit complaining Rissy. Now, let's see what Baelfire has been up to all this time." said Pan as the shadow grabbed them both, leading them to the brightest star that led to this little island of hell called Neverland.

* * *

 _ **Storybrooke**_

 _ **Present Time...**_

 _ **(Two Weeks Later...)**_

"What are you doing here?" asked Henry when he saw Ris waiting for him outside the school after his last period.

"Is your mom coming to get you later?" she asked.

"No, she's not." replied Henry.

"Great. Then I'm taking you from school, come." said Ris, dragging Henry along.

"I don't think my mom will like this." said Henry with a sad voice, but still following behind Ris.

"Since when do you care about what the big bad mayor has to say?" asked Ris.

"Since she killed Graham to make a point." he said.

"You really think she killed him?" asked Ris, placing her hand on the kid's shoulder, guiding him out, not really heading to his home but his castle.

"She's the Evil Queen. That's what she does. Graham was asking me questions about his life at the Enchanted Forest, and he died on the same day." he said, sadly. That was how Henry had been like during the last two weeks. Graham's death really disappointed him, made him loose hope on Operation Cobra's accomplishment.

"It was a mere quincidence, champ. I don't know what happened, but trust me, even the big bad mayor wouldn't be able to react that fast on being dumped." said Ris.

"Wait, what?" asked Henry.

"Oh no, here it goes... I think it's time for you to know a few things about adult relationships." she said.

"What are you talking about?" asked Henry, really confused now.

"You know what, I normally wouldn't care, but both your mothers will kill me if I say anything else on the subject, so we'll have to have that talk another time. Trust me, you'll know when to come to me for advise."

"That if my mom doesn't try to hurt you or Emma. Look what she did to Graham." said Henry when he and Ris got to the wooden castle where Henry liked to hang out. He climbed up there and Ris followed him and sat next to him.

"Henry, I promise, your mother and I have some serious badassness in our systems. If the big bad mayor as much as tries to pull shit on us, she's doomed." she said. Henry smiled a little at her choice of words. Ris grinned back at him and messed his hair playfully.

"There's that smile. Mission 'cheering Mr moody up' is accomplished. Now, time for some Cobra stuff. You can begin." she told him. She didn't want to admit it, but she had missed Operation Cobra. Henry looked always so excited when he talked about it, it was adorable. But during these two weeks, he hadn't even called a secret meeting at Granny's. It was ridiculous to call it a secret meeting, but Henry liked it that way.

"I don't know if we should keep up with Operation Cobra." said Henry, his previous smile disappearing.

"Who are you and what did you do to my favorite champion brat? Why do you want to quit it?" asked Ris.

"Because..." started Henry, but he stopped mid sentence when Emma showed up with her yellow bug. She waved her hand at Henry and Ris, and she approached the castle. Henry didn't greet her back. He just remained in the position that he was at before. All sad and disappointed.

"Brought you something. Thought we could use them together for Operation Cobra." said Emma, and she sat on the other side next to Henry, handing him a walkie talkie that she probably found in Graham's stuff.

"Hey, I had one of those when I was eleven. I would pull pranks on the orphanage brats all the time, it was hillarious..." said Ris, but Emma's disapproving look made her pause. She couldn't prevent her from swearing around Henry, but the kid didn't need to get influenced by Ris's old pranks.

"I'm shutting up now." said Ris. Henry took the walkie talkie, but he still didn't cheer up.

"Thanks." he said to Emma.

"Oh, come on! What's up? You've been ducking me for weeks." said Emma, not wanting to feel left out from her son's life. The only company she had these two weeks was Ris's drunken self. Not the best version of her.

"I think we should stop Cobra stuff for a while. You don't play with the curse. Look what happened to Graham." said Henry.

"Not this again..." muttered Ris.

"Henry, I told you they did an autopsy. It was totally natural causes." said Emma.

"Yeah, I told you champ. No one reacts that fast to being dumped." said Ris.

"Okay, whatever. You don't believe. Good. That should keep you and Ris from messing with it. And getting killed." said Henry.

"You're worried about us?" asked Emma.

"Nothing's happening to us, Henry. We're team badass. We can mess with stuff and keep our hands clean all we want." said Ris.

"No, you can't. You never did. Because you are good, Ris. And you fight fair. Regina killed Graham because he was good. And you two are good..."

"Henry..." started Emma.

" Good loses – good always loses. Because good has to play fair. Evil doesn't. She's evil. This is probably best. I don't want to upset her anymore." said Henry handed Emma back the walkie talkie, took his backpack and he left the castle. Ris knew that Henry didn't mean those stuff. Operation Cobra was his life. He adored Emma, he was just really upset...

"That was sadder than Locke's flashback episodes in 'Lost'... You have to do something, Swan. Kid looks more miserable than Squidwad."

"What's there for me to do?" asked Emma.

"I don't know. Kick some big bad mayor's ass or something." said Ris. Emma laughed and jumped off from the castle.

"I think I'll feel better when I see her face when she sees me with the sheriff badge. Are you coming?" she asked.

"Nothing better to do..."

 **A/N: WOW! 100 FOLLOWS?! That's insane! Thank you so much for following!:-D. I hope you enjoyed the chap! The flashback is finally finished and we're heading to Boston and London on the next! I never thought the Enchanted Forest stuff would turn out that long... Everything was already planned out and I thought it would take a hella lot less chapters to complete it...**

 **(SPOILERS) Anyways, the second episode of season five was AWESOME! The third, not so much but I still liked it. I appreciated that Robin and Hook finally aknowledged each other's existence. But can the writers give Robin something to do? And Captain Swan broke up... That was sad, but I kinda saw it coming. They'll be back together anyways (hopefully). And Arthur being a villain... I didn't see** _ **that**_ **coming. But I prefer it this way, he was a little useless as a hero. He's a dick though, he made a poor guy kill himself. Dick move man. I wasn't really into the Charming/Arthur bromance. I will always prefer Captain Charming! And Gold is back from the comma. FUCKING FINALLY! Seriously though, I want Neal back. Like no kidding here. And when is Merlin showing up? I want Merlin in the picture! Okay, enough bubbling.**

 **Thank you for the favorites/follows/reviews! I reached 100 follows, I still can't belive it! Thank you sooooo much! Please leave your review about your thoughts on the chap, and tell me what you want to see the most. I'll take it into account for the flashbacks!:-) Until next time...:-)**


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 22**

 **(The song Ris is refering to is "Until it's gone" by Linkin Park. Just pointing that out so that her line doesn't come out weird. It kind of inspired me to write the chap, so I had to give it some credit.)**

"Are you going to keep staring at it, or are you gonna man up and put it on?" asked Ris. Emma had been staring at the sheriff's badge for way too long, almost as if she didn't want to wear it.

"Should I? Graham had been sheriff for a long time, wouldn't it be too soon for the rest of the Storybrooke people?" asked Emma.

"People love you here. You are the new girl with the red leather jacket, the crappy yellow bug and the insane friend that won't shut up. What's not to love?"

"Yeah, but as sheriff? Shouldn't there be more volunteers for the job?"

"For God's sake..." muttered Ris, and she grabbed the badge from her friend's hand. She grabbed Emma's jacket and randomly placed the badge on it. She took a few steps back to see if she got it right. It wasn't exactly how she expected it to look like.

"There. All perfect." she said with a proud smile.

"Right. Good luck with me trying to make Storybrooke trust me while wearing the badge like that." said Emma, and she took off the badge to place it correctly.

"As if anyone noticed it when Graham was wearing it..."

Someone cleared their throat from the sheriff station's entrance.

"Oh, sorry. That's not for you." said Regina's voice.

"You've got to be kidding me..." muttered Ris before she faced Regina. "Hey Gina. How is it going? How come you're at the sheriff's station now that your boyfriend's gone?" she said. It came out totally unsensitive and careless, and in a tone that had surely pissed Regina.

"Regina, it's been two weeks. The promotion is automatic." said Emma, driving the mayor's attention away from Ris.

"Unless the Mayor appoints someone else within the time period, which I'm doing today." said Regina, entering now the office.

"There are no volunteers. Who are you forcing to take the job?"

"After due reflection, Sidney Glass." said Regina. Ris couldn't help herself and let a small laugh escape her lips, pissing off Regina even more.

"Sydney works in a fucking newspaper. He can't even throw a dart properly at Granny's. Trust me, I've tried to teach him mutiple times." she said.

"She's right, how does making Sydney sheriff make any sense?" asked Emma.

"Well, he's covered the Sheriff's Office for as long as anyone can remember." explained Regina.

"Exactly. Covered. He knows nothing about the actual job, he'll just do whatever you want him to. You just cannot stand the fact that things have been getting better around here, can you?" said Emma.

"Better? Are you referring to Graham's death as 'better'?" asked Regina.

"Alright, now you're just putting words in her mouth." said Ris.

"Am I? Who is the one that benefits the most with his death? You would surely be next deputy if I hadn't interfered. Graham was a good man and a good sheriff. He made this town safe, and forgive me for saying it, Miss Swan, but you have not earned the right to wear his badge." said Regina.

"Graham picked _me_ to be Deputy." said Emma.

"He was wrong." argued Regina.

"No. He knew what he was doing. He freed this office from your leash. So what if I make _her_ deputy? At least she has studied police forces in London for a year, a lot more than the zero days that Sydney or anyone else has. You're not getting the office back." said Emma.

"Actually, I just did. Miss Swan, you're fired." said Regina. The mayor took the sheriff's badge from the desk, her satisfaction showing a little bit too much, and she left.

"Hey! Come back here, you can't just go around firing people!" said Ris, and she tried to go after Regina and give her a piece of her mind. But Emma held her back, not wanting any more trouble.

How dare she? Who gave her the right to fire Emma? Being the mayor normally would, but she put her personal gains and interests first. That was totally unproffessional.

"What a fucking bitch." said Ris. She looked at Emma, angrily. "Are you just going to let this go?" she asked.

"There's nothing that can be done right now. She's not giving me the job back no matter what."

"If I punch her in the face she will." said Ris, and she made for the door again. Emma held her back. Again.

"No, did you even listen to Henry this morning? We're good and we don't fight dirty." said Emma.

"Look where that got us. You are jobless, I lost my chances in being deputy and Henry is upset. Maybe good is overrated."

"First of all, I never said I would surely make you deputy, and secondly, I'll find another way." said Emma. Ris sighed in defeat.

"Alright. Let's get our brains working and kick Regina's ass. I know exactly what inspires me to think of something genius." said Ris.

* * *

"I can't find a screwdriver!" yelled Ris, so that her voice would be heard on top of the loud music playing on Mary Margaret's old stereo.

"Knife, screwdriver, what's the difference?" asked Emma, rhetorically, as she grabbed a knife and started randomly tinkering with the toaster.

"My toast plans didn't really go as I thought they would..." said Ris.

"Could you please turn up the volume? I love this song." said Emma.

"Since when?" asked Ris.

"Since it inspires me on how to murder the mayor." said Emma, giving up on the knife and hitting the toaster on the counter.

"You know, hitting her head with the toaster is not a bad idea now that I see you." said Ris, turning up the volume even more.

Right when Ris started pourring a drink for the two of them, Mary Margaret came back home, shocked to find her roomates acting like a bunch of agressive teenagers.

"Hey M&M! You got something strongeer?" asked Ris, loudly, so that the teacher would hear her. Mary Margaret turned the volume down, so that the three of them could have a normal converstation.

"Shouldn't you be at your session with Archie?" she asked Ris.

"I'm ditching today." replied Ris, turning the volume up again only to have the radio turned off completely by Mary Margaret,

"And why are you ditching?" she asked Ris, as if she was talking to a kid.

"Because I'm pissed and you know where Archie's umbrella is gonna end up inside if I take my anger out on him." she said and she dropped herself on the couch while having a sip of her drink. Mary Margaret turned to Emma, hoping that she would make more sense than Ris.

"What happened, why are you hitting the toaster?" she asked.

"Just taking out my anger. I really needed to hit something." replied Emma.

"What's going on, why are you two so upset?"

"Regina fired me."

"And she took away my chances of being deputy. And guess who's taking Emma's place." said Ris.

"Who?"

"Sydney Glass. Aka, lap dog number two. Well, number one now." said Ris.

"Aka, another one of her puppets, so that she will have the police office under her control again. It is my job." said Emma.

"I've never heard you so passionate about it before." said Mary Margaret.

"You don't know what you've got until it's gone." quoted Ris. "If only that was on the radio right now..." she said and reached for the stereo, but Mary Margaret beat her to it.

"What made you so upset about the loss of your job?" asked Mary Margaret.

"I don't know, I just know I want it back." said Emma.

"It's the motherly instinct again. Henry is upset and boom. She cares." commented Ris.

"It's not just that." said Emma, giving up on the toaster.

There was a knock on the door.

"I want to finally beat that bitch." added Emma, and she headed to the door.

"What did you buy?" asked Ris, looking through Mary Margeret's shopping bags.

"Fruits, vegetables..." started Mary Margaret.

"Really? Not a bag of M&Ms? Shame on you." said Ris, playfully. Mary Margaret let out a small laugh, but it disappeared once she looked at the door. Ris turned to look who the visitor was as well. It was no other than Mr Gold himself.

"Good evening Miss Swan. Sorry for the intrusion. There's something I'd like to discuss with you." he said. Emma threw Ris and Mary Margaret a look, silently telling them to go.

"I'll let you two talk." said Mary Margaret and he ran to her room.

"Yeah, I guess I'll go too..." said Ris. She didn't want to talk to Gold after their weird convertation at the cemetery. She was still creeped out by that.

"Miss Silver, I think that the matter concerns you too. I suggest you stay." said Gold as he entered the appartment.

"Why?" asked Ris carelessly, when Mary Margaret got to her room.

"Weren't you interested in being deputy?" asked Gold.

"It was a joke. I don't even have a certificate allowing me to become one."

"Unless the sheriff promotes you."

"I don't think Sydney Glass would ever take an order from Regina about promoting Ris." said Emma.

"Oh right, I heard about what happened. Such an injustice." said Gold.

"Yeah, well, what's done is done." said Emma.

"That's the spirit. Fight until the bitter end." mocked Ris, raising her fist us in the air.

"She's right. That's so unlike you."

"I don't know what chance I have. She's Mayor and I'm, well, me." said Emma, crossing her arms.

"Miss Swan, Miss Silver. Two people with a common goal can accomplish many things. Two people with a common enemy can accomplish even more. Not to mention that there's three of them in that case. How would you like a benefactor?" said Gold.

"Benefactor?" asked Ris.

"Would you mind?" asked Gold, gesturing at the table.

"I'm sensing a long converstation." muttered Ris, as she, Emma and Gold sat down on the table chairs. Gold placed the binder he was holding on the table and opened it up.

"You know, it really is quite shocking how few people study the town charter." he said, taking a book out of the binder.

"What's that?" asked Ris.

"Rules, authorities. Basically anything that has to do with this town." replied Gold, and he opened the book.

"Well, I haven't read anything since Harry Potter. I'm pretty sure everyone thinks the same way here as well."

"Well, I don't. The charter though is quite comprehensive. And the Mayor's authority? Well, maybe she's not quite as powerful as she seems." said Gold. Ris and Emma smirked at that statement.

"Discovering hidden weaknesses? I'm so in." said Ris, and she sat up, her interest officially caught.

* * *

 _ **New York**_

 _ **Two Years Ago...**_

August Booth tapped his foot on the floor impatiently, waiting for the appartment owner to open up the door. He never thought that he would need to meet that guy ever again, but after he returned from his trip to Phuket to check on Emma... It looked like fate was not something that anyone should mock. It also looked like befriending Emma Swan ran in the family. Neal had fallen in love with her and Clarissa had suddenly became her best friend. The last thing August needed was another member of that family driving Emma away from her destiny. After what had happened with Neal, August thought that she wouldn't trust anyone again. That she would be driven to Storybrooke without anything or anyone holding her back. And now that brat, Clarissa, was going to ruin it all... He knew that it wasn't her fault that she befriended the savior, but couldn't it be someone else? Was it totally impossible for him to live his life without anyone ruinning everything?

August's thoughts were interrupted when the door finally opened. Neal Cassidy made a face when he saw him, and he tried to smack the door on his face. August placed his foot in front of the door to prevent it from closing.

"Sorry for bothering." said August, not really meaning it.

"What do you want?" asked Neal, angrily.

"It concerns the curse I told you about a few years ago and another obstacle standing in the way."

"Look man, I'm done with this crap. I've done my part in your stupid job as Emma's 'guardian angel' and I still regret it. If you think I'm going to listen to anything you have to say, you can think again." said Neal, and he tried to close the door again. August held it open with his hand this time.

"This time it concerns someone else. Someone you care for even more than Emma." said August.

"What are you talking ab... Wait, are you talking about Rissy? What happened to her?" asked Neal, finally showing some interest.

"It's not really appropreate for me talking from outside the door. We might bother the neighbors." said August. Neal sighed in annoyance and anger mixed together, but he let him in.

"What about my sister?" asked Neal, closing the door behind him.

"I came back a few days ago from a trip." started August, as he made himself comfortable on Neal's couch. "And guess what I saw on my way home. Your dear sister, out of the orphanage. And guess what she was doing." he said and paused.

"What was she doing?" asked Neal, crossing his arms and loosing his patience.

"She was following your footsteps. Taking a page from a little book called 'How to jeopardize someone's destiny'. She was having coffe at Starbucks with, gues who, Emma."

Neal's face became serious after that statement.

"Emma and Rissy are friends?" he asked.

"Very. And now you and I are gonna have to change that."

"No."

"What do you mean no?"

"I mean that I'm not ruinning my sister's friendship. Not when her birthday is approaching."

"And what will her gift be this year? You'll show up at her doorstep and announce her that you're her brother?"

"That was the plan since she got out of the orphanage."

"But your plan is getting in the way of another one that is more important. Breaking the curse."

"Screw the curse. Why do you even want it broken anyways? You can just go back to Phucket and do whatever the hell you were doing with no care in the world. Since you actually don't have any."

August sat up from the couch, more angry than before.

"My only family is in that cursed town, my father is there. And he has no memory of me or anything that happened back in our land. I promised him that the curse would be broken and it will be."

"Why now? Why couldn't you just stay with Emma and guide her towards her so called destiny?"

"I'm not perfect, I got tempted and as I've said before, I'm not good at saying no. But this is important. If you help me break their friendship, you can re introduce yourself to your sister and be the only person in her life. All you need to do is help me."

Neal considered this. All he ever wanted was a second chance with his sister. To tell her how sorry he was that he let Pan get to his mind and make him leave her. Just like he later did with Emma...

"Screw you." he finally said. August was loosing his patience, and his desperation was starting to show.

"Please, think about it."

"I'm not thinking about anything. I'll meet my sister and Emma. And I'll meke it up to both of them without ruinning their friendship. And you need to go." said Neal, and he pointed at the door.

 _Very well._ Auguust thought as he walked out the door. There should be another way to drive Emma towards her destiny. At least he hoped so. He just needed to think...

* * *

 _ **Storybrooke**_

 _ **Present Time...**_

"Everyone deserves to feel safe in their own homes." started Regina with a satisfied smile. Words could not express how much enjoyment firing Emma had brought her. If she thought that she and her bubbly friend could just go around changing things in HER town, they had it all wrong. It was bad having one person defying her, but two of them? That was way over the limits of her patience. Sydney was thankfully obedient to her, and he would do anything she told him to. It was a good choice. "That's why Sidney Glass is my choice for post of Sheriff. This man has put the needs of Storybrooke above his own for as long as any of us can remember as chief editor of the Storybrooke Daily Mirror. Please welcome your new Sheriff!" she added, and she turned to Sydney to place the badge on him.

"Hang on a second." said Emma's voice. Regina wished that she had her magic and make her disappear to the depths of Amazon. But since she couldn't do that, she would try to make her leave using her power as the mayor. It appeared that Clarissa had accompanied Emma as well. This was getting better and better...

"Oh, Miss Swan, Miss Silver, this is not appropriate." said Regina, angrily.

"Where's Archie to tell you this is 'highly inappropriate' when you need him... Anyways, the only thing not appropriate here is this ceremony." said Clarissa,

"Exactly. She doesn't have the power to appoint him." said Emma.

"The town charter clearly states the Mayor shall appoint..." started Regina.

"A candidate. You could appoint a candidate. It calls for an election." said Emma.

"These are the rules of Obama. You cannot defy Obama." said Clarissa, quite seriously.

"The term 'candidate' is applied loosely." said Regina.

"No it's not. This is how it's done in America." said Clarissa.

"It requires a vote. And guess what, Madam Mayor? I'm running." said Emma.

"Fine. So is Sydney." said Regina, stubbornly.

"I am?" asked Sydney. Regina threw him a frustrated look. "I am." he said, feeling threatened by ler look.

"And you want him to be the sheriff?" commetned Clarissa.

"Yes. And he has my full support. I guess we'll learn a little something about the will of the people." said Regina.

"I guess we will." said Emma, and she walked to the door.

"See, Storybrooke people? That is what I call badass. So when you come to vote in a few days time, base your votes on the level of badassness. We all know who'll win this one." said Clarissa, and she left. It appeared the war was on...

* * *

The pawn shop's bell was not Regina's favorite sound. But is wasn't her least favorite thing from there. No, that would be its owner. Gold was staring at the flame of a lighter, but he took it off as soon as Regina entered.

"Regina." he said.

Regina flipped the sign on the door to the 'closed' side.

"Shall I move some things? Make a bit of space for your rage?" he joked. Regina was not amused.

"You found that loophole in the town charter." stated Regina.

"Legal documents – contracts, if you like. Always been a fascination of mine." said Gold, not even bothering denying it.

"Yes, you love to trifle with technicalities."

"I like small weapons, you see. The needle, the pen, the fine point of a deal. Subtlety – not your style, I know."

"You're a bastard."

Gold only looked amused by Regina's anger.

"I think your grief's getting the better of you, Regina. Shame what happened to Graham." he mocked.

"Don't you talk about him. You know nothing."

"What is there to know? He died."

"Are you really going up against me?"

"Not directly. We are, after all, both invested in the common good. We're just picking different sides."

"And you chose _her_ side."

"Well, I chose Miss Swan's side for the good of Storybrooke. I belive she would make a good sheriff."

"Not her. Clarissa. The one that you seem to have taken an interest at for no apparent reason. First you gave her a job at your shop and now you are siding with her and Miss Swan?"

"What happened to hospitality, Regina? There hasn't been a new resident in Storybrooke since... Well, forever."

"They are not residents. They are visitors. And it's one thing to try and be careful and another to put the whole town at stake."

"From what I've seen, Miss Swan is quite capable of doing the job."

"And if she gets elected, there's a chance that Miss Silver will be deputy. What is it about that girl that makes you want to support her? Who is she?"

"How am I supposed to know? I haven't been outside of Storybrooke, much like everyone else."

Regina was growing more mad each passing second. Lately, she had been wondering about that girl. Who she was and how she could see Storybrooke. She had been really busy trying to take Emma out of the picture that she didn't have a chance to consider it... And that imp was not being of help at all.

"Why do I even bother? She won't win anyways."

"Never underestimate someone who's acting for their child."

"He's not her child. Not legally."

"Oh, now who's trifling with technicalities?"

 **A/N: The last part might seem a little rushed, but I wanted to update today. Soooo, what do you think of my writing for Neal and August? Maybe I wrote August a little bit too cocky, but I think that's how he was in season 1... What will happen when August comes to Storybrooke an few chapters later? ;-) Thank you for the favorites/follows/reviews!:-) But let's make the reviews a little more this time, alright? I'm being sensitive:-). Please review, and until next time!:-)**


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 23**

"I just entered your shop." said Ris when the pawn shop's bell rang.

"You do not have to announce your arrival, Miss Silver. Pretty much everyone would know when you are in the room." said Gold.

"Well, since you never look up whenever your bell rings, I assumed that letting you know of my presence would be pretty important. What do we have for Emma's campain?" asked Ris, supporting her body weight on Gold's desk with her arms.

"Many things that I cannot wait to not tell you of." said Gold, and he made for the back room of his shop.

"Oh come on, we are partners now, why can't you let me in what's going on inside your evil and annoying brain?" whined Ris as she followed behind him.

"Because it doesn't concern you. All you need to know is that everything will work out for your friend."

"There must be something I can do to help, I don't want to just sit in the backround, that's boring..."

"If you don't want to sit in the backround, I think you should just go to your session with Dr Hopper and wait for something big to happen. Then you'll surely find something to do."

Ris noticed something on Gold's expression when he said that. It looked kind of similar to the look she had when she was hiding something. It could've just been her imagination, but she knew that look too well to just let it pass.

"You know something, don't you?"

"I know many things. You'll have to be more specific."

"You have an evil plan in mind that could be just taking place, what is it?"

"I'm not sure you can take it."

Ris crossed her arms angrily. She did not appreciate Gold telling her what she could and couldn't do.

"Try me." she said, stubbornly. Gold finally looked at her. He admitted, the girl did look intimidating. Not enough to intimidate him, but enough to give her credit for the effort.

"You know what a sheriff must be?" he asked.

"Badass." replied Ris, simply.

"A sheriff must be fair, selfless and have guts. We already have the guts part. But now we must make sure the town aknowledges the other two traits on Miss Swan as well."

"And how do we do that?"

"Think about it. It's one thing for her to save her son from the mines, a person that she loves. But what would really prove fairness, is for her to show the same kind of behavior towards someone that she hates."

"Regina." realized Ris.

"Now you're catching up."

"How do we even begin to make something like that happen?" asked Ris.

"That part is currently up for consideration. I am open for suggestions, since you are so eager to help."

Ris considered it for a second. A look of realization crossed her face that made her smile in victory.

"I can photoshop Emma saving Regina from a wild bear! No, no, not a bear. A wolf! Since there is already a wolf in town. I'll go hack at the sheriff's station computer right now!" she said, and she made for the door.

"I don't think any person in his right mind would ever fall for something like that." called Gold from behind.

"I know, but it will still be fun to make. Besides, who wouldn't want a fun sheriff instead of the dull and boring one that is Sydney?" called Ris and she exited the shop, heading to the police station.

Gold suppressed the laughter that he almost let out. The girl was literally living in her own world. Little did she know, that not only had he already planned the whole thing, but it was about to take place in about... An hour, give or take.

* * *

 _ **Boston**_

 _ **Two Years Ago...**_

August was not a stalker. He had never just stood in a corner, waiting for someone to come out of a damn caffe. Well, of course until Clarissa Silver. It had been two days since that incident with Neal, and August was still trying to figure out what the hell he was supposed to do. He needed the girl out of the picture along with Neal, but he didn't want to force them away. It wasn't just because of the sharp pain on his leg, which was telling him to hurry or he'll turn back to wood. It also was the fact that he didn't want Emma to be alone again. He needed her to be alone but somehow... Not to be. He didn't know if that would be possible. Then there was the girl. Having to deal with her presence in the Savior's life was a major pain in the... But she was still young, and August couldn't help but feel bad for trying to take away her only friend...

Speak of the devil. Clarissa exited the cafe, holding two paper cups on one hand and a plastic bag which contained what looked like baegles on the other. It looked like someone was preparing for movie night. It was just too... Normal. Too good for him to try and ruin it... She was just walking back in her tiny appartment, not knowing of the person that had been stalking her for two freaking days...

But it appeared he wasn't the only one stalking her. There was a man walking right behind her with fast step. August had never seen him before, but he was sure that he was up to no good. Something urged him to go and check it out, so he took off, following stalker number two like he was following Clarissa.

The girl was starting to realize that something was off. She made her steps quicker than before, but she didn't start running, knowing that it wouldn't turn out well if she did. The guy on the other hand did not have the same opinion. He made his step even faster, he almost caught up with her. He would have, if it wasn't for August.

He grabbed the guy by his jacket, and he dragged him towards an empty alleyway, where he threw him on the ground roughly.

"Who are you?" he asked.

The guy attempted to get up, but August wouldn't have any of it. He punched him in the face, forcing him back down. He wasn't done questioning him.

"Tell me who the hell are you, and why are you following Clarissa?"

"Asks the one who has been stalking the very same girl in the last two days."

August remained silent for a few seconds, since he had been indeed stalking her. But that guy had obviously stalking her for a longer time if he knew that.

"How long have you been watching her, what do you want?"

"I'm pretty sure you know."

"How the hell should I know?"

"Aren't you from our land?"

"Our... I don't know what you are talking about." lied August. For all he knew, this could be some kind of trick, or the guy could be a sociopath. He couldn't just go around, throwing words like "Enchanted Forest".

"Then what the hell do you have that book for?"

"How do you know about that? Are you from there?"

The guy did not answer. Instead, he used August's focus on the converstation as a distraction to get away. He pushed August on the ground, and he took off running. August tried to catch up, but it was too late.

Great... Now he had one more problem. A crazy stalker was out to get the girl that had ended up being one of his bigger problems...

Suddenly, an idea flashed in his head. One that could very well be the solution for everyone's problems. I would keep his concience calm, Neal would agree, and most importantly, the girl would be safe from the crazy stalker that was not him. It looked like he could work things out without the help of any cricket...

* * *

 _ **Storybrooke**_

 _ **Present Time...**_

"How long has it been since you last came to one of our sessions?" asked Archie. Ris was not paying attention to him. She would much rather stare at a photo that she had in her hands since she entered the room. "Are you even listening to me?" he asked again. Ris stopped laughing, and she looked at Archie, as if she had just now realized that he was in the room.

"Oh, I'm sorry, did you say something?" she asked.

"Yes. I was asking you why you've been skipping your sessions." replied Archie.

"Cause I didn't feel like coming. All you are saying everytime we have one is "smoking is bad" or "you should quit smoking". It's getting old." said Ris.

"Maybe because that's the point of them."

"The point of something that Swan put you up to. So I have an idea. Instead of the boring stuff, today we could discuss about... Photography."

Archie looked at her, expressionless, still not used to the point jumper that was Ris.

"Photography." repeated Archie, not knowing what else to say.

"Yeah, your hearing is pretty good, nice job shrink." she said.

"What about it?"

"See, I went over to the sheriff's station today, and since it was empty, I hacked in Emma's computer and look what I made!" she said enthusiastically, showing Archie the pictures that she had been staring at.

"Is that mayor Mills and a bear?" asked Archie.

"Yup. And there's Swan, onto the rescue. I have this in a wolf version, I can show it to you..."

"I think we should just, you know, stick to our usual schedule."

"You are so not fun Archie. Such a buzzkill..." said Ris, disappointed. Before Archie could start talking again, they were interrupted by the sound of Ris's ringtone.

"What a pity, I have to answer the phone. Please excuse me." she said before she picked it up.

"Yeah?"she said.

"Ris, you need to come at the Town Hall right now!" said Henry from the other line.

"Henry, whose phone are you even using?"

"Ruby's. It doesn't matter, you have to come at the Town Hall right now, forget about your session!" said Henry, with urgency in his voice.

"Unless your mom is hosting a pizza eating contest, I'm not interested." replied Ris.

"The Town Hall's on fire and Emma is in there!" said Henry.

Well, shit. That was exactly what was needed to happen...

 **A/N: What is this?! An update? Hey! I am alive and well! Well, it hasn't even been a month, but I have never been gone for that long. I'm really sorry, but school is being a pain on the ass... I normally would have put up an author's note that I'm alive, but I hate it when others do that. It's like I see the update, I celebrate and then BAM! Author's note... So yeah, nothing too special, just Ris being Ris and a revelation about a crazy stalker who will be needed for the plot of the flashback and for season 2. Guesses can begin.;-)**

 **Anyway, next one will be longer, I promise. "Desperate Souls" will be done in the next one and I can finally start with "True North". So yay for that! Thank you everyone for the favorites/follows/reviews! Again, sorry for the short chapter and the long wait, but it's better than a bland author's note. Until next time!:-)**


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 24**

Good could win. Those were the thoughts on Henry's mind while waiting for Ris to get to the town Hall with Archie. Emma had saved his mom from the burning building! And she had made it out unharmed! Henry had no idea how the fire had started, but his guess was that the curse was weakening even more. Emma would surely win the elections and she would become the new sheriff. It wasn't exactly what Henry had in mind about Emma's part in Storybrooke, but ensuring its safety and bringing everyone's happy endings were close enough.

"Henry!" called Ris, as she marched through the crowd with Archie by her side.

"Ris, you came!" said Henry.

"Were is Emma?" asked Ris, with a worried tone.

"Getting congratulated." replied Henry, pointing at Emma, who was speaking to Ruby, Granny and some others citizens.

"Getting all the spotlight, huh? Showoff... I think Storybrooke's getting to her." said Ris. Although her comment was sarcastic, her tone revealed how relieved she was of Emma's safety.

"What exactly happened in the burning building?" asked Archie.

"All I know is that Emma saved my mom when she was in danger. The fire department had just arrived when they made it out, but she still saved her!" said Henry, enthusiastically.

"Well then, I think I should go and praise the "savior"." said Archie, and he stepped towards Emma after patting Henry's shoulder.

"Where is your other mom?" asked Ris. After what she heard about Emma saving Regina's ass, she would not miss the perfect opportunity to make some fun out of it.

"Getting checked by an ambulance over there." said Henry, pointing at his mother. Regina looked furious. She was inhaling and exhaling with an oxygen mask impatiently, and practically demanding the doctors to leave her alone.

"I'll be right back champ." said Ris and she walked towards the mayor. But someone else beat her to it. Sydney marched in front of Regina with a camera on his hands. Before Regina or Ris could react, the camera flashed as Sydney took a picture of Regina.

"Nice shot of the victim?" he said with a dopey smile.

"Sydney? What the hell are you doing? Are you trying to hand this election to her?" asked Regina, furiously.

"He wouldn't know he was doing it even if he dropped out of the competition." commented Ris. Regina glared at her, really upset that someone else other than her was commenting on Sydney's lack of braincells.

"Hey, lap dog number two, can I have one of those? I will surely make new posters out of them, bacause belive it or not, I think that not even _you_ would belive the ones with the bear and wolf."

"Bear and wolf? What are you talking about?" asked Regina.

"Long story short, once upon a time you and Emma had gone camping, a wild bear attacked you and Emma saved you with the power of awesomness."

"What the hell is this nonsense, Miss Silver?" asked Regina, really mad now.

"I don't know how much clearer I can make it to you, but if you'll excuse me, I'd better go congratulate your two times savior." said Ris, throwing a smug smile at Regina and Sydney before leaving.

A bunch of people were talking to Emma. They were praising her bravery, and it looked like they were going to support her on the elections.

"You are a hero!" Ruby was saying when Ris got to them.

"We should see if they have a picture of the rescue." said Mary Margaret.

"Sydney does. Won't be too hard getting some from him." said Ris, pushing Ruby aside to make room for herself in the convertation. "Congrats Swan. You made a hero out of yourself just when you needed it."

"Appears so." replied Emma, not really knowing what else to say.

Ris on the other hand, repeated her last words into her mind. _You made a hero out of yourself just when you needed it..._ That was way too convenient. Even for a boss like Emma. What the hell had Gold said back at the pawn shop? That they needed something big to happen, like Emma saving someone important while cameras would be recording. He had said that he had nothing in mind, and Ris hadn't really gotten the chance to explore the possibility that he had already planned everything...

That was all Gold's plan? Had he set the fire? Was that his definition of helping? Well, Emma didn't really know about it, she had still saved Regina, so it wouldn't count as cheating. Right...?

Knowing Emma, she wouldn't like this if she found out... Ris could just not tell her. They were just speculations anyway, it could all just be her own paranoia. But still, everything about her speculations involved Emma, she couldn't just keep them to herself.

"This is how good wins. You do something good and people see it, and then they want to help you." said Emma to Henry and Ris. Ris hadn't realised that it was now just the three of them, she was just too lost on her train of thoughts. Or rather her polar express of thoughts...

"The blonde's right. Good can win just by being badass." she said, pretending that she was listening the entire time.

"Maybe you two were right." said Henry, putting on a smile which Emma and Ris had missed for two weeks.

"There's that silly but cute smile." said Ris.

"You see, Henry? We don't have to fight dirty." said Emma.

"Lesson's learnt today, lesson's learnt. Hey champ, I think your mom is calling for you over there." said Ris, pointing at Regina, who was waiting by her car for Henry.

"Yeah... I'd better go to her. Good luck with the elections! I know now that you are going to win!" said Henry as he ran to his mom.

Emma kept the satisfied smile on her face for a while. She had finally done it. She had gotten Henry to smile again. For the first time since Graham's death she felt like there was actually hope. Not to mention that she now had some chances of winning.

"Swan, I think there's something you should know." said Ris. Her voice revealed that it wouldn't be good news. Emma looked at her reluctantly, not wanting anything to ruin her moment of victory.

"What is it?"

"Don't you think it's a little bit too convenient that you made a hero out of yourself when you needed it?"

"Umm... Coincidences happen."

"Well, not this time. I know for a fact that the fire was a setup."

"What?!" yelled Emma. Ris quickly motioned her to keep it down and Emma took a second to let the information process.

"By who?" she asked when she made sure no one was looking.

"Gold. I was at his shop earlier, I was trying to annoy him. But he mentioned something about a plan that would involve you saving Regina. I don't know why he was being so obvious about it, but the fire was no accident."

Emma was left shocked. Right when she needed this, being the hero that always saves the day, Gold just had to ruin it all with one of his tricks. Henry was proud of her for nothing!

"No one knows that, _you_ didn't know that, you still saved Regina's ass. I told you because I thought you needed to know."

"No. That was not what I signed up for when I accepted Gold's help. Henry is smiling again because he thinks I am a hero. What would he do if he found out about the real facts?"

"It was Gold, not you. He might have set the fire, but you didn't know. You still were the hero..."

"No. I'm not gonna win like this. I'm not like him." said Emma, and she took off, looking pretty damn determined.

"Where are you off to?" called Ris from behind.

"The pawn shop." replied Emma.

Ris sighed, somewhat wishing that she hadn't mentioned anything.

"Well, I really should stick to poster making, politics is just not for me."

* * *

 _ **New York**_

 _ **Two Years Ago...**_

"I'm really not digging the 'you paying me pointless visits' thing." said Neal, as he reluctantly let August come inside his appartment.

"You are a terrible host." commetned August.

"What do you want this time? I've already told you that I'm not helping you."

"I think you'll change your mind after what I'll tell you right now."

"I don't give a crap about curses or any other bullshit that you have to say. So you might as well save yourself the trouble."

"This time it's different. It concerns your dear Clarissa's safety. Did you know there's actually someone else in the picture who clearly has no good intentions for her?"

"Is that person you? Cause I can easily imagine you stalking her."

"True that, but the difference is that I mean no harm for her."

"Who are you even talking about?"

"Yesterday I was watching her. And no, I was _not_ stalking her. That guy I saw on the other hand... He clearly didn't just want to have a nice cup of tea with her when he followed her."

"How do you know he was following _her_? He could just be walking back home."

"He was staring right at her, it was not a look a normal person would give to a stranger."

"Why should I belive you? You are actually expecting me to trust _you_ of all people? You are not exactly known for your honesty."

"Exactly. But right now, there is a perfect fifty percent chance that I'm telling you the truth. You really wanna fall to the wrong fifty?"

Neal remained silnent. The puppet had a point. He sure as hell did not trust him, but he wouldn't take any chances with his sister.

"Did that guy manage to do anything?"

"No, I stopped him before he could."

Neal let out a sarcastic laugh. He was worried about Rissy, but he couldn't help but make some fun out of August.

"Well, look at you being the hero."

August rolled his eyes at Neal refusing to take him seriouisly for once.

"How did the guy look like?" asked Neal a few seconds later.

"Uh, kinda japanese or chinese if you'd ask me. In his mid forties maybe."

"That sounds a lot like my assistant."

"What do you mean?"

" Ryan Parker, the guy that delivers my annual gifts to Ris. He's been doing that since I was like... eighteen years old. If it was really him, there is nothing to worry about, he can be trusted."

"He didn't seem that way to me."

"That's rich coming from you."

"He mentioned my book, Neal."

"What book?"

"The book that involves stories from the Enchanted Forest. I've already shown you the one with Emma in it. That guy is from our land. I don't know how he got here, but he did and he wants something from your sister. And that something does not involve your gifts."

Neal was stunned. No, not stunned, he was shocked. He had doupts about August's words, but now they were gone. This couldn't be a coincidence. He nervously ran his fingers through his hair, in an attempt to calm down.

"I am guessing you have a plan." he said. August smiled in satisfaction and victory. All Neal wanted to do was punch that smile off his face, but the matter concerned Rissy. He would do whatever was needed to protect her. He owed it to her after all. After what he did when they left Neverland...

"Now we are talking. And yes, I do have a plan." said August, and Neal prepared himself for what he was about to hear...

* * *

 _ **Storybrooke**_

 _ **Present Time...**_

"M&M! Thank God I found you! You're on poster duty." said Ris, as she handed Mary Margaret a big pile of posters. She really had a hard time trying to make them realistic and not add the bear and wolf stuff. But the outcome was pretty darn good. She even used the word "savior" on it, it was Henry's idea, and for once Emma had agreed that the term was used.

"The election is today, I don't think it really matters now..." started Mary Margaret.

"People can have second thoughts. Trust me on this one, Swan is definetely going to do something stupid today..." said Ris, putting her hands inside her jacket's pockets so that she wouldn't chew on her fingernails from nervousness.

Emma had told Gold that she'd expose him the other day. Ris was less than happy about that. Not about Gold, she didn't give two craps about him, but if Emma lost the elections after all the effort she had put into it... Ris didn't know how Henry would react if Emma lost. Or worse, if Emma revealed that she had "cheated". Honestly, Ris still didn't consider this as cheating. Emma didn't know about the fire setup. She saved Regina out of decency. But Emma would just refuse to listen to her every time she brought it up.

Not to mention that David was pinning posters of Sydney's annoying face all over the announcement board outside the Town Hall!

"And look, even David is on poster duty only a few hours before the elections." she said, pointing at David accusingly.

"I don't think so Dave..." she muttered. She took a few posters from Mary Margaret's hands and she headed to the board.

"David!" she called from behind David. He almost jumped in surprise before he turned to look at her with a curious expression.

"What are you doing?" asked Ris, accusingly.

"Pinning some posters..." started David, really confused about Ris's attitude.

"No, no, no. I'll show you how to poster-pin correctly." she said, and she pushed David aside to pin her own posters over his. She smirked as Sydney's face was replaced by Emma's while she was saving Regina from the burning building. When she was done, she stepped back to admire her work.

"See? That's how you do it." she said proudly. "Do not forget. Vote for Swan. She is our past, present and future." she added, handing David the posters that remained. David was just waiting for her to be done with her stunt. It would be better if he'd just accept whatever she did, it would simply be no use to argue with her. He wasn't really annoyed with her, Kathryn was the one that wanted him to support Sydney anyway...

All thoughts disappeared when Mary Margaret approached them. He still hadn't gotten over these feelings he had for her. Every time he saw her, he would just wonder what would've happened if he had chosen her instead of Kathryn...

"I think that's enough, Ris." said Mary Margaret to Ris.

"Hardly. But I'd better go and check on Emma. She must be freaking out in there. I'll catch you later. Stay on poster duty." replied Ris, and she headed inside the building.

When she was gone, David looked for an excuse to talk to Mary Margaret.

"So... Um, she is a piece of work." he said, akwardly. _Smooth David..._ he told himself inside his head. Mary Margaret finally faced him after obviously trying to avoid his gaze.

"Excuse me?"

"Your friend."

"Oh, right. She is great, but try living with her." joked Mary Margaret, and she immediately took her eyes off his again. She got to the other side of the board, finding the chore Ris had her up to very useful at that moment.

David _did_ realize that the situation was way too akward for her. But he really needed to at least talk to her. He hadn't really spoken to her, other than a simple "hello" at Granny's, ever since he had rejected her for Kathryn.

"So, how are things?" he asked.

"Pretty good, what about you?" replied Mary Margaret, although all she wanted to do was run away from the tension.

"Okay. Oh, I got a job. Yeah, I'm working at the animal shelter."

"Really? That's great."

"Yeah." said David, realizing that he had ran out of ideas on how to make the converstation less akward.

"So. Sydney." said Mary Margaret, pointing at the posters and releasing him from the akward state.

"My wife is friends with Regina, so…"

"Oh, right. How is Kathryn?"

"Good. She's meeting me here later."

 _RED ALERT!_ said Mary Margaret to herself. It was something that Ris had made up. She said that she always used it when needed out of situations like these. The teacher looked around to find an excuse.

"That's wonderful. Well, I'm all out of posters. I'm going to go get some more." she said quickly. She practically ran away, repeating "red alert" inside her head. She didn't even realize that there were plenty of posters right where she had left David. _Smooth M &M. Smooth..._ said Ris's voice in her mind.

* * *

"I'm telling them." said Emma as soon as Ris got to the backroom, where Emma and Sydney were getting ready.

"No you are not. We talked about this Swan." said Ris.

"Actually, only _you_ talked. I won't go along with this deception."

"It's not even a deception, if it wasn't for me being a genious, only Gold would know of the plan."

"Shh! Don't speak of it out loud."

"Sorry... But Swan, think of what you would be walking away from. And who you'd disappoint." said Ris, pulling the curtain to reveal Henry sitting with Regina on the front seats of the room. When she pulled the curtain close again, she found Emma staring at her with a surprised expression.

"What?" asked Ris.

"No... It's just that... Gold said the exact same thing. Word to word."

"Really? Well, for once he spoke the truth. You can't expose him, even if you hate that guy."

"But Henry wouldn't want that."

"Henry would want you to wim fairly. Which you did. I'm pretty sure I've said this a dozen times, but I'll say it again. You didn't know abou the fire."

"Hey!" said Mary Margaret's voice, as she came running towards Emma with a water bottle.

"I'm not gonna win." said Emma, taking the bottle from Mary Margaret.

"What's up with the pessimism today? Anyways, I'll leave you girls talk. I'll go catch a seat. You'll win Swan." said Ris and she went to catch a seat after giving Emma a thumbs up.

Henry was the first person waiting for her.

"How is she?" he asked, earning a scolding look from Regina. Thank goodness there was not a "don't talk to Ris" rule for Henry.

"Nervous. But she can do it."

"I know she can. That's the first step for her to become the savior and for everyone to remember..."  
"Yeah, I know. To remeber their fairytale past."

"Exactly. Come and sit with me." said Henry excitedly.

"Uh... I would, but I don't think I'm welcome." said Ris, eyeing Regina, who wasn't glarind at her, but she was silantly telling her to get the fuck away from them. "I'll see you when the ceremony is over." said Ris, and after patting Henry's head, she headed to the back seats. Once she got comfortable, she took out her phone to send one last text to Emma.

 _"You've got this Swan:-)."_

"Is the seat taken?" asked Gold's voice. Of course he had to be there... She had already heard him coming, his cane was not something that would go unnoticed. But she hoped that he wouldn't notice her.

"Yes, it is." said Ris, annoyed. Gold started to walk away, spotting a seat in front of hers.

"Actually, I was only kidding, it's not taken." said Ris. Honestly, she had no idea why she called him back, maybe she wanted to mess with him a little, it was always fun annoying him. More than annoying Regina.

Gold's expression showed that he was not amused, but he did take the seat.

"How is Miss Swan?" he asked.

"Not good. Guess whose fault that is."

"She accepted my help. She said that she would do whatever it takes."

"Whatever it takes does not mean almost die in a fire."

"She wouldn't die, the fire department was already there."

"You know what? I refuse to try and reason with you. You'll always have something to say that you think is going to redeem you. But it doesn't. It only makes you even more unlikable." she said quickly. She was in no mood to argue with that man.

Ris spotted Mary Margaret coming out of the backstage. She waved at her, but she didn't sit with her, probably because of Gold's presence. But since she was out, it meant that the debate was about to begin. And it did.

Sydney and Emma took their seats while Archie started with the intro he had been practising before.

"Tragedy has brought us here." he started.

"No shit..." commented Ris, quietly.

"...but we are faced with this decision. And now, we ask only that you listen with an open mind and to please vote your conscience. So, without further ado, I'd like to introduce you to the candidates – Sidney Glass and Emma Swan. Glass. Swan. Sounds like something that a decorator would make you buy." said Archie. No one laughed at his joke.

"Guys, shrink's trying to be funny. I would be polite to laugh." commented Ris, getting up from her seat. Gold pulled her back down, not wanting any more time wasted on this.

" Wow, crickets. Okay, uh… Uh, Mr. Glass – your opening statement." said Archie. Sydney walked up to the podium with a confident smile.

"I just want to say, that if elected, I want to serve as a reflection of the best qualities of Storybrooke. Honesty, neighbourliness, and strength. Thank you." he said. Ris held back the ugre to yell boo. She had to remind herself that this wasn't a class president election like the ones in London, where she could easily throw her snippy comments without anyone glaring.

Emma walked up to the podium next.

"You guys all know I have what they call a, uh… Troubled past. But, you've been able to overlook it because of the, um… Hero thing. But here's the thing..." she said.

"Please don't say it, please don't say it..." whispered Ris. Damn it Emma! She just had to go off and expose her "cheating" which wasn't even cheating.

"The fire was a setup. Mr. Gold agreed to support me in this race, but I didn't know that that meant he was going to set a fire. I don't have definitive evidence, but I'm sure. And the worst part of all this was – the worst part of all this is – I let you all think it was real. And I can't win that way. I'm sorry." she said, and she left the podium.

Ris really was disappointed. She immediately looked at Henry, who was still at Regina's side. Sadness was written all over his face. He was back to being moody, as he had been for the past two weeks. Ris was too absorbed to calling Emma names inside her head, that she didn't notice Gold getting up from his seat and exiting the room.

"That, ladies and gentlemen, was the walk of shame." she said, getting up from her seat. That was her last attempt to lighten up the mood before she would place her vote. She really didn't know what the results were going to be, or how Emma's reveal would affect them, but she hoped for the best...

* * *

"Another?" asked Ruby. Emma had two glasses of wine, and Ruby predicted that she would make them twenty two. She had voted for Emma, but she didn't know what the others would do after what she revealed...

"Oh hell yes." replied Emma. Ruby headed to get another drink for Emma when Henry entered the diner.

"Hey Henry." said Emma.

Henry took the walkie talkie out of his backpack and he handed it to Emma.

"What's this for?" asked Emma.

"You stood up to Mr. Gold. It's pretty amazing."

"Well, he did something illegal."

"That's what heroes do – expose stuff like that. I shouldn't have given up on Operation Cobra."

Emma was having a party inside her head. Henry was not disappointed, he was proud! And she earned this not with Gold's help, but by defying Gold! That was a cool bonus. It was true that sometimes winning isn't everything...

"Swan!" yelled Ris's voice, as the brunette entered the diner.

"What is it?"

"You'll never belive what happened!" said Ris, cheerfully.

"What?"

"You fucking won! What else could I be happy about? You won!" she said.

"Are you kidding?" asked Emma, exitingly.

"She is not." said Regina, as she entered the diner as well along with Sydney.

"Congratulations. …Sheriff Swan." said Regina, dryly.

"You see, now she's too pissed off to say anything else. But who cares? You won!"said Ris, as Regina pulled out the Sheriff's badge and placed it on the counter.

"Wait, what?" said Henry. "Are you serious?" he added in a tone of voice that matched Ris's.

"It was a very close vote, but people really seem to like the idea of a Sheriff brave enough to stand up to Mr. Gold."

"Are you joking?"

"She doesn't joke." said Sydney.

"No sense of humor. Aka, no joking." added Ris.

"You didn't pick a great friend in Mr. Gold, Miss Swan, but he does make a superlative enemy. Enjoy that." said Regina, and left furiously.

"Don't listen to her, she was just trying to make it look like she is the winner so that she doesn't appear like a total loser."

Emma was still shocked. She didn't expect this turn of event, but now her "drink away sorrows drink" would turn into a "hell yes I fucking won" drink. Henry was proud, Ris was still cheering with him and Regina was upset. That was the best day ever.

"Swan, I'll be back soon for the victory party. I've got some place to go to." said Ris before she hurried out. Emma was too happy at that moment to evenwonder where her friend was off to. So she just stayed with Henry, and for the first time, she was feeling eager to talk Operation Cobra...

* * *

 _Finally, something useful happened in this town..._

Those were Gold's thoughts as soon as he entered his shop. It was easy. Tricking Clarissa into telling Emma about his plan, making Emma confess his involvement in the fire incident... The only thing left, was let Emma know of his plan. That last part was mostly because he didn't want to give Emma the idea that she was acting on her own. She was merely a puppet to his plan. She had done exactly what he wanted her to...

"Gold!" yelled Clarissa before even the bell rang.

"Oh, I was expecting you, Miss Silver." said Gold.

"I bet you did. We need to talk."

"About giving my congratulations to Miss Swan? Please do that when you leave."

"Not that. You know what I'm talking about. Did you actually want Emma to expose you?"

"Where are these assumptions coming from?"

"I put two and two together. First you made it a little bit too obvious to me that the fire was a setup. And secondly, you are a sneaky bastard and you would do that, wouldn't you?" she said. Gold gave her a really sneaky smile before he spoke.

"You see, it's all part of the act. Regina might be mayor. But no one fears her as much as they fear me. Defying me was the key to success."

"Alright, I got it memorized. But what has been bugging me is why. Why did you want Emma to be sheriff?"

"You two made a deal with me a month ago. You'd owe me a favor. Well, now that Miss Swan is sheriff it's only a matter of time that you become deputy. I'm sure we'll find some way for you two to pay back what you owe me. Say congratulations to Miss Swan for me." said Gold, heading to the backroom, leaving a really mad Ris behind.

 **A/N: Hello fanfiction readers! I'm back with vengeance! I'm finally getting to "True North"...**

 **Okay, so down to business: (to defeat the Huns!)**

 **1) Should Ris be deputy?**

 **2) What do you want to see the most?**

 **3) Which one of Ris's relationships do you like best?**

 **Those are my questions! Anyways, on to some spoilers about OUAT.:**

 **Fucking Peter Pan and fucking Milah are coming back. You all know what I'm about to say. WHERE. IS. NEAL? I'll just have faith that the writers will make my wish actually come true... I really hope we'll be heading to the Underworld. I also hope Merlin comes back. I think I'll hate Hook forever if he stays dead.**

 **Anyway guys, here it is, I hope you liked it:-). Thank you for your follows/favorites, and thank you Lolo314, SwingingOnAStar, LoesSnape, Guest and ShadowSpade for reviewing! Also, thank you nathaliedew98 for PM-ing and introducing me to an amazing song! (It's "gold" by Imagine dragons, give it a listen:-) Thank you for reading, hope you liked and that's that. Until next time!:-)**


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter 25**

"Come on, Swan! I'm begging here!" pleaded Ris as soon as she and Emma got to the station. She had been pleading Emma to give her at least five days of being deputy ever since the blonde became sheriff.

"I can't just do that, you need to earn the title first." said Emma.

"What did _you_ do to earn the title when Graham picked you?"

"I helped in finding a nearly dead man at the Toll Bridge and then I convinced the most intimidating man in Storybrooke to allow a pregnant maid to keep her baby. It was a pretty big deal."

"I was there as well. With that logic, Graham could have very well chosen Henry to be deputy."

"Yes, you were there _right_ after you abandoned the shop you were supposed to look after while the owner was gone."

"How in hell do you even remember that?"

"The point is that you have to work in order to earn the deputy title. It's just how it is. It's not that I don't want to appoint you, because trust me I would love to see Regina's face when I announce it to her." said Emma right before the station's phone rang.

"Don't pick it up, we are having a very important converstation here."

"There's another sign that you are not even close to being ready for the job." said Emma, and she picked up the phone.

"Sheriff Swan." she said when she answered. Ris rolled her eyes and she mimicked Emma's way of showing off her title, mockingly. Emma motioned her to be quiet and she blocked her free ear so that she wouldn't have to listen to what Ris was saying.

"Sure, go ahead and ignore me because destiny is calling."

"I'll be there in five minuites." said Emma through the phone and she hung up. She immediately got off her chair and grabbed the keys to her bug while Ris was just staring at her with a questioning look.

"What happened?" she asked.

"Destiny called. Come, let's get going." replied Emma and she made her way out of the station.

" _Let's_?" asked Ris, following right behind.

"Don't you want to be deputy? Come and let's see what you've got."

Ris smirked at her victory and she followed her friend with exitement.

* * *

"What's the case?" asked Ris once Emma stopped the car.

"Oh, it's a surprise." said Emma mysteriously and she got out of the car.

"Is it at least something serious?" pressed Ris.

"Not telling." replied Emma, stubbornly.

"Tell me that it at least involves a gun."

"Oh look, we are here." said Emma as she stood in front of the... Grocery store. Seriously? That was the big deal? Ris threw a glare at Emma's side and crossed her arms.

"Swan, if this is merely a case of shoplifting..."

"It gets better." said Emma, and she pushed the store's door open. Ris groaned in annoyance before she decided to enter as well. Considering that she had already bothered to tag along, she might as well check it out.

Unfortunately, she was greeted by Regina's frowny face, which looked more pissed off than ever. Henry was at her side, looking as miserable as he always did when Regina was around. They were the only people in the store appart from two other kids behind them, a boy and a girl. And of course Mr Clark, the owner.

"Henry, what happened?" said Emma, surprised to see her son there.

"I see how it gets better, Henry was the one doing the shoplifting. Good job champ. Next time, try not to get caught." said Ris when she entered the store, whispering the last part.

"My son wasn't shoplifting, he knows better than that, Miss Silver. Unlike you, apparently." said Regina, furiously. She then turned to Emma, looking even more pissed off. "One week of being sheriff and you have already given her a job. And to think that you were accusing me of favoring when I thought that Sydney should be sheriff."

"She didn't give me the job, she is way too stubborn. Is it a crime for me to tag along?" said Ris.

"Not a crime, but it's not needed. Everything is taken care of." said Regina.

"In case you forgot, I'm the sheriff. It's my job to come and see what's going on when I receive a call." said Emma, placing her hands on her sides.

"Then do your job." said Regina, and she walked through the store's door pulling Henry along.

"Right, well..." said Emma, turning to face Clark and the kids. "Now that the big bad mayor is out, let's meet our thieves." she said. The two kids suddenly grew interested in their shoes, as they looked down at them with embarassment written all over their faces.

"Are you kidding me, Emma? This is the surprise case? These are kids, they don't even know how to use a gun." whined Ris, who was hoping for a more intetesting case than two kids stealing shit.

"I never said anything about a gun. Did you call their parents?" said Emma.

"Uh, the number they gave me was disconnected." said Clark, after sneezing several times.

"Did you guys give Mr. Clark a fake number?" asked Emma.

The two kids shook their heads.

"Then why's it disconnected?"

"Cause our parents couldn't pay the bill." said the girl. Ris rolled her eyes. That was literally the oldest excuse in the book, she couldn't even count how many times she had used it when she used to sneak out of the orphanage.

"Can we skip the stupid excuses part? We are not buying." she said.

"No, Ris, look." said Emma, pointing at a few of the stuff the kids had swaped. Toothbrush, toothpaste... And not really a lot of stuff that a kid would be interested in stealing.

"You guys are just trying to help out, huh?"

"Really? First you trick me into beliving that this would be serious and now you are about to let them off the hook? We won't even have a talk with their parents?" complained Ris.

"Please don't! This will just make things worse for them!" said the girl, melodramatically. Emma stood and considered this for a minuite before she spoke.

"I'll tell you what. You are off the hook this time. But you'd better not get caught doing it again, or else I'll have no choice but to have a talk with your mom and dad."

"Thank you so much, we promise we won't do it again." said the girl.

"Come, We're giving you a ride home." said Emma. The kids' eyes revealed panic for a second, but they covered it up.

"Of course, thank you." said the girl, who appeared to be the one with the brain. Emma had certainly noticed their shock when she offered them a ride. They wouldn't get out of this that easily.

"Now we are offering them a ride on the magical miracle bug? What's next, throwing a red fucking carpet?" complained Ris.

"Stop talking and come." said Emma, and she led the kids and a very unwilling Ris to her car.

* * *

"This is it?" asked Emma as she pulled over to the side of the pavement. They were across a small house, the two kids's home.

"That's it." said the girl, and Emma with Ris took off their seatbelts to get out of the car.

"Please, no. If our parents see you two, they'll be so embarrassed." said the girl again.

"Oh, don't you play the 'embarassed parents' card on us. They need to know what their children are doing in their spare time." said Ris, and she reached for the car door's knob.

"Ris, hold on a moment." said Emma, and she turned her attention to the kids in the backseat. "Did Henry tell you about my superpower?" she asked them.

"We just met him..." said the girl.

"I have the ability to tell when anyone is lying. Tell me the truth – money problems aside, is everything okay at home?"

"Yeah, we're great. Can we go?" said the girl, in a tone of voice that was way too confident for someone that had just begged them not to talk to their parents.

"Then why would you mind if we talked to mommy and daddy?" asked Ris. The girl looked at her nervously, not having an answer ready for her.

"Don't mind her. You can go, but stay out of any more trouble." said Emma.

"We will." said the girl, and she got out of the car as fast as she could, before Ris could ask any more questions. Ris threw her head back on her seat and exhaled in disappointment as Emma started the car again.

"Say it." said the blonde.

"I think that you are too much of a softie to be a cop. You should've talked to their parents. They were shoplifting."

"Look who's talking, you stole a motorcycle two and a half months ago."

"Yeah, but I wanna be deputy, so I have to be against stealing even if I do it in my free time. You should have told their parents."

"I don't think I could even if I wanted to."

"What do you mean?" asked Ris. Emma didn't answer her question, and she pulled over behind the house where they were just at. "They weren't telling the truth, were they?" she asked.

"To uncover stuff like that you need to catch the subjects by surprise. Otherwise they will never tell you anything. Another lesson for you today." said Emma, while getting off the car. Ris followed behind her, complaining about how she was being so cryptic about said lessons.

"Where are we off to now?" she asked.

"Their 'parents' house." said Emma.

"You know, you could very well write all these stuff on a nice little notebook where I could actually study them. But no, you have to show off by giving me a live action mystery uncover." Ris kept complaining until they reached the front door of the house. Emma kicked the door open, since she was sure there was no one in the house. And she was right. The house looked abandoned and old, no one could possibly live in there.

"I thought that in secret missions we are supposed to do stuff quietly." whispered Ris.

"The noise was intended Now hide." said Emma, feeling as if she was trying to teach a five year old how to drive a bus. She pulled Ris next to her with their backs facing the wall next to the door to another room. A few moments later, there was a noise coming from that room, a slight squeek sound, as if a door had just opened. Ris was about to say something, but Emma motioned her to be quiet as she took a peek through the door. The two kids were there, trying to make out where the noise had came from. Emma waved her hand, telling Ris to follow.

"Why did you guys lie to me?" asked Emma, walking through the door and startling the kids. "Where are your parents?" she asked.

"We don't have any." admitted the girl after a few moments, finally giving in and telling the truth.

* * *

 _ **Boston**_

 _ **Two Years Ago...**_

"Swan! I'm here for movie night and I don't care if you object." called Ris as soon as she entered Emma's appartment with her shopping bags. They mostly consisted of food and snacks, as they most usually did on a Friday night. The supporters of healthy diets would have their heads for this.

"I'm in the kitchen. Would you mind helping out a little?" called Emma. Ris would much rather not to, but since she was in a good mood she might as well help out. The first thing she heard in the kitchen was a loud bang and first thing she saw was a bunch of confettis falling from the ceiling and a very proud Emma Swan.

"Happy birthday." said Emma, not with the excitement that anyone else would have said it, but in her usual Emma style.

"It's my birthday?" asked Ris, still surprised.

"You don't know when your birthday is?" asked Emma, raising her eyebrow.

"Of course I do, duh. I was just not counting down the days this year." replied Ris.

"Well, I have set a timer on my phone, so I went ahead and got you these." said Emma, and she stepped aside to reveal two present boxes on the kitchen table.

"Wow, are you kidding me?" asked Ris, with excitement in her voice, and she quickly sped to the table.

"Nope. It's nothing too special, but I think you'll like them." said Emma.

Ris opened the first box, and took a black leather jacket out of it.

"I should've known that you'd get leather. Just surprised it's not red." said Ris with an excited smile.

"I'm saving red for myself. Now the other one."

Ris opened the next box to see that it was a birthday cake. Emma immediately added two candles on the top that had the shape of the numbers 1 and 9.

"Please tell me you are not singing me a happy birthday song." pleaded Ris.

"I thought you'd say that. Thankfully, I prepared this." said Emma, and she turned on the stereo. A smirk appeared on Ris's lips as "Awake and Alive" played on the stereo.

"Why don't we make this the official happy birthday song?" she asked, rhetorically, before she blew the candles.

"Did you wish for anything?" asked Emma.

"Don't tell me you believe in this shit, Swan."

"No, but you never know what might happen." replied Emma. She then reached in her pocket to take out a little envelope. She handed it to Ris, without explaining what it was about.

"What's thi..." said Ris, but stopped mid sentence when she saw the familiar handwritting. "The mysterious stranger." she realized.

"Yup. Looks like that guy doesn't give up that easily." said Emma, with a smile that would've looked forced hadn't she been really good at hiding her feelings. She had decided to let Ris know that there was another gift from Neal. She still didn't know of their connection, or whether they were related or not. But it didn't matter. Ris would never find out, that was the important thing. But still, the guilt for not telling her was a real bitch...

"Check _that_ out." said Ris, taking out a small notebook out of the envelope.

"What's that?" asked Emma.

"It's not one of the usual stuff I receive, that's for sure." she said, before she turned the first page of the notebook. Emma raised it in front of her face while Ris was still reading it, in order to see its cover.

"That's a college application." she realized.

"What? What college?"

"Police forces. It's in London."

"And what the hell am I supposed to do with it?"

"When people receive those, they usually apply." replied Emma, stating the obvious.

"Why would the mysterious stranger send this to me?"

"Maybe he thinks that you would like to go there? Are you interested in police forces?"

"Well, I usually hate them, but I guess it _would_ be kinda badass to hold a gun legally."

"Obviously the guy knows that, he's offering you the chance to study in London."

"That would actually be hillarious." said Ris, throwing the notebook at the table. "Come on, we can start with the movie night."

"You are not even gonna think about it?"

"I can't go to London. Besides, I'll most probably gonna need to pass some sort of exam to get accepted. We both know I would never pass."

"You can't know that, you haven't tried."

"Then maybe I don't want to try." she said simply, and she walked to the living room, not willing to discuss this any longer.

* * *

 _ **Storybrooke**_

 _ **Present Time...**_

"And that was how you should properly swipe stuff." said Ris to the kids in Mary Margaret's house, whose names she found out were Ava and Nicolas Zimmer. She was keeping them some company, though unwillingly, while Emma was asking Mary Margaret some questions about them. Since they were going to her school she should know at least _something_ about them.

"I thought you said that we shouldn't steal." said Nicolas, who had finally found his voice and spoke up.

"Please. I only said it cause _that_ one was present." said Ris, pointing at Emma. "It's a free world, you can do whatever the hell you want."

"Look where that got us." said Ava.

"You are hanging out in an actual house with the best company you could ever imagine. Don't be a brat."

"I'm not talking about now. I'm talking about what's gonna happen to us. We are going to the system. And then we'll be seperated, that's what will happen."

"It won't happen, I'll personally make sure of that." said Emma, and she walked to the table with Mary Margaret and took a seat.

"Good luck keeping that promise." said Ris.

"Don't listen to her, she always sees the worst in everything. Emma is going to keep her promise, she will find a way for you not to be seperated." said Mary Margaret, always being the hopeful one.

"M&M, I'm not being a pessimistic freak, just realistic. Those things take time and do you expect Emma to hide these kids forever?"

Emma rolled her eyes at their little disagreement, and she moved her chair closer to Ava's as she looked at them reassuringly.

"I'm not gonna lie, it will take some time. But I'll find a solution, you can be sure of that." she said.

"I belive you." said Ava.

"Good. Cause I'm gonna find you a home, you can be sure of that."

"The only home they can find right now is the orphanage or the system. You say the system sucks and I've lived in an orphanage for eighteen years. It sucks. How the hell are you even going to begin with your search."

"I'll find their father." said Emma. Ava and Nicolas's eyes gleamed with surprise and some excitement at that statement.

"You can do that?" asked Ava.

"I'll try. Anyways, I'm off to town services. I suppose I can find something about him there. Are you coming?" asked Emma, directing the question to Ris as she got off her chair and grabbed her jacket.

"Nah, I think I had enough lessons for one day. Go on." said Ris, waving her hand to dismiss Emma. The blonde nodded and headed to the door.

"Keep me updated!"

"Will do."

"So, who wants some lunch?" said Mary Margaret, getting up from the chair to prepare lunch.

It was early afternoon until they received an update from Emma. Apparently, Regina had taken the records of the two kids before Emma and she was planning to send the kids off to the system, where they would be seperated. They were supposed to be taken to Boston at night.

"That's awful, why did the big bad mayor get involved in this, it is your and soon enough _my_ job!" said Ris through the phone.

"Keep dreaming. But now the only chance we have is finding their father today."

"We barely have six hours. I don't think this is enough time to even begin searching."

"That's why I need your help. Thanks to Henry, I now have a clue on what we should do."

"And what is that?"

"Every kid has something of their parents, at least every one at the system did."

"You want me to ask Ava and Nic if they have something of their dad's."

"Can you do that?"

"Duh, I'm right here with them right now, how could I possibly be unable to do that?"

"Alright, ask them and call me immediately." said Emma and hung up.

"What did she say?" asked Mary Margaret while washing the dishes.

"I think it's time for a little Q&A with the kids." replied Ris, clapping her hands together to get the kids' attention.

"What do you want to know?" asked Ava.

"Swan needs something of your dad's in order to make the mission of finding him easier. So, you have something?"

The kids looked at each other, probably having one of those silent converstations that siblings had.

"We do." said Ava.

"Well, show me."

"Do you promise that you and Emma will find him? I have to be sure before handing it to you."

"Kid, in this world, everything is possible. The slightest thing can happen that can fuck everything up. So instead of promising that we'll find your dad, I'll simply say that we'll try our best. If it was that simple, then I would have found my own parents in the blink of an eye."

"You never found your parents?" asked Nicolas.

"Nope. I simply didn't care enough. But since you have common sense and actually _do_ care, there is a bigger chance in finding your dad if you give me the object." said Ris. Ava and Nicolas had another one of their silent convertations before Ava reached in her pocket and pulled out a... Compass.

"Kind of a weird keepsake." commented Ris, checking out the object that Ava handed to her.

"Our mom said it was our dad's." said Ava.

"Did he tell you where he got it?"

"No... I'm telling the truth, I promise."

"Well, that's a start. I'll contact Emma."

"Is that something of your parents?" asked Nicolas, stopping Ris from pressing the call button.

"What?" she asked.

"The necklace." said Nicolas, pointing at Ris's neck. She was wearing the weird necklace from Gold's shop, the one that Henry had found in the mines. For some reason Ris liked it on her, she always felt like she should wear it.

"No, no way. It belonged to that old and annoying asshole that owns the town. Come to think of it, that is a pretty good place to start looking. It appears that you do have a brain, Nicolas. Props to you." said RIs hurriedly, and she made for the door after giving the kid a thumbs up for reminding her that whenever she had no idea what to do, Gold's shop would certainly be the best place to go to.

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **Hello again! Merry Christmas, I wish you to have the best holidays ever!:-D So, let's jump into it!**

 **Answer to Anonymoussp** **, since I can't PM you:**

 **1.) The revelation about Ris and Gold's connection might take a while longer that the season one finale... Don't kill me! I just have this really great moment in my mind and I don't want to change it!**

 **2.) She and Robin will DEFINETELY be the best of buddies. She might move in to his camp in season four, (since Ris will not really be involved with the Frozen stuff, she'll be more into 'Operation Mongoose') but it all depends on 5B. If they decide to bring Neal back, then I'll follow the canon story line and she might move in with Robin. But if he doesn't come back, I don't think I'll kill him off, so she'll be living with him. I really don't know... Only time will tell.**

 **3.) She might be a little bit mad at Emma... Since she'll be finding out that she lied about the mysterious stranger. She won't be too dramatic about it, but she and Emma will be at odds in 2B.**

 **4.) Yeah, Pan is still Rumple's dad, which makes him Ris's gramps. They can't be together romantically, but their dynamic is pretty interesting and will be REALLY fun in season 3! At least I hope so. They are definetely a badass duo.:-) Thank you for your review! I really liked reading it!:-)**

 **I kinda have a dilema about the next flashback. I have two in mind and I really don't know which one to choose. So I'll leave it up to you:**

 **Option 1: Bae and an eight year old Ris take a trip to Wonderland. It will explain Ris's age and the mushroom thing. Will involve Jefferson, Will Scarlet and maybe Cora.**

 **Option 2: We see what Bae had been up to in Neverland while Ris was at the EF doing her thing. After that, we'll see an attempt at escaping Neverland with the help of a certain handless pirate.**

 **I can't vote in favor of one, since they are both about to answer a few questions, so choose freely.**

 **Thank you for reading/favoriting/following/reviewing! I hope you liked the chap, and until next time! Merry Christmas!:-D**


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter 26**

As always, Ris's yelling voice was heard before the pawn shop's bell even rang. Gold was cleaning up an old black lamp.

"You might wanna be careful with that. When Jafar's out, there will be no Aladdin to save us. At least none that Henry knows of..."

"Clarissa. I really like how this is becoming your thing." said Gold, sarcastically.

"What's turning into my thing?" asked Ris.

"Taking some time off your day to pay me a visit and tell me some of the most irrelevant things I've ever heard. Really thoughtful."

"Yeah, too bad my every visit goes like 'Hey, Gold. I need something'."

"It's always good to feel needed." said Gold. He finally turned away from the lamp to face Ris. "What do you need?"

"I ran into this thingy the other day, do you have any idea where could anyone find one of these?" she asked, showing Gold the compass Ava gave her. Gold inspected it, putting on a proffessional expression.

"Well, well. Look at the detail. You know, this is crystal. This jeweled setting… In despite the rather unfortunate shape it's in, this is actually a very unusual piece." he said. Ris rolled her eyes at the man's seriousness. She really didn't care about its design, she only wanted to find out the kids' dad so that she would get her chance at being deputy.

"No offence, captain know-it-all, but I really don't care about its design, can you just tell me what shop would sell something like that?"

"Well, this one of course. Honestly, I'm surprised you didn't realize sooner."

"There are millions of shops in the entire universe. How was I supposed to know that I would be lucky and it would be this one?"

"Well, not many people that have visited this shop have left Storybrooke. I guess that stands for their keepsakes as well."

"Sounds like a horror movie to me. Anyway, do you keep records of your costumers, I really need to know who bought that compass."

"Of course I do." said Gold, and stayed silent. Ris groaned at his innability to just be helpful without messing around for once. That man was really unbelievable...

"What do you want?" she asked, unwillingly.

"Less hard feelings." he said.

" _That_ should be a challenge. You are a pretty terrible person."

"What have I done to cause such characterizations?"

"I could write a list on that, but I'd be done next month and I only have till tonight."

"Do you want to be deputy or not?" asked Gold. Ris glared at him for a few seconds. That man certainly knew how to piss her off.

"Less hard feelings it is." said Ris. Gold gave her a pretty evil smile before looking through some of his files inside a drawer of his desk. He found what he was looking for in a matter of seconds.

"That was fast. As if you were expecting me to come and ask you that." said Ris, her suspicion obvious in her tone of voice.

"Now you are just being paranoid." said Gold. Why was he always making it look as if she was the crazy one? "The compass was purchased by a Mr. Michael Tillman."

"Isn't he the mechanic?"

"You are resourceful."

"No I'm not, my bike was just about to kick the buckett a few days ago and I needed a mechanic. But he was being a dick... Why am I even telling you this? I should get going." said Ris, and she walked to the door.

"Good luck with your quest." called Gold.

"Yeah, I'll... See you around." said Ris, reminding herself of her 'no hard feelings deal'. That should be difficult...

* * *

 _ **New York**_

 _ **Two Years Ago...**_

"I have a feeling that she didn't fill in the application." said Neal to August. The two of them were standing outside the building where Ris was supposed to be writting her exam at.

"She did, I'm sure of it. With the info that you gave me about her, I know that police forces is just what she would like to do." replied August with confidence.

"What if she doesn't want to study at all?" asked Neal.

"Everyone wants to do something in their life. Especially if that something includes London. There is no need to worry."

Neal put his hands in his pockets and turned away from August, checking for any yellow bugs nearby. He really wanted Ris to have applied to go to university. That way he would finally get a chance to see her. He wanted to see Emma as well, even if it was from a distance. He was still very much in love with her, but that stupid destiny was in the way... He normally wouldn't care about it, but he had promised August, his sister's safety was depending on that promise.

"There are our girls." said August with a smile and he patted Neal's shoulder, pointing towards the direction of Emma's yellow bug, which she had just parked a few feet away from the building. The two men were standing pretty far away so Emma wouldn't notice them, but they had a perfect view of what was going on.

"Rissy..." muttered Neal, without even realizing he did it. The women he held most dear in his life were standing a few feet away from him and he couldn't even talk to them...

Ris was currently chewing on her fingernails from anxiety, just like she did when she was a kid. Emma was trying to calm her down, but it looked like Ris was speaking complete nonsense, since Emma was rolling her eyes every five seconds. Neal barely managed not to laugh at himself. He could almost hear his sister saying the most random things anyone could possibly say on a situation like that.

A few moments later, Emma handed Ris a pen and a water bottle, and it looked like she wished her good luck. Ris put the pen in her jacket's pocket and held tightly onto the water bottle, as if she was trying to make the plastic break. She then bid Emma goodbye and hurried towards the building.

Neal made a move to leave, but August stopped him. Before Neal could say anything, Ris was rushing towards them, since they were in her way of getting to the building. Her shoulder accidentally pushed August's, making him almost trip and fall. It was obvious that August hadn't moved out of her way on purpose.

"Apologies mate! I'm in quite a hurry." she called when she passed by them. August quickly handed Neal something. He looked at it to realize that it was Ris's pen.

"Dude, you just swiped her..." he started.

"Excuse me, miss." called August, making Ris turn around. What the fucking hell was he doing!?

"Don't call me miss, it makes me sound old." said Ris as she reapproached them.

"Sorry, my friend here says you dropped your pen." said August, smoothly, as if he wasn't just making her talk to Neal without even asking him. Neal felt the land under his shoes disappear when Ris looked at him, clueless of who he was. At that moment, he would even take the rage he expected from Emma, he would take anything, all he wanted was for his sister to aknowledge him, to remember him...

He snapped out of his thoughts, not wanting to make a fool out of himself, and he handed the pen to Ris.

"Yeah, here you go." said Neal, trying to make his tone sound casual.

"Oh, thanks man, I owe you one." said Ris, patting his shoulder hurriedly and taking off just as fast.

"Good luck!" called August.

"Thanks!" said Ris.

Neal suddenly felt like the odd one out. Was he really the only one surprised by this?

"What the hell was that?" he asked August.

"I thought you wanted to speak to your sister?" said August.

"No warning, no nothing? I could do it myself."

"I know, but would you?"

Neal considered it. He hadn't really thought of what would happen after she would have to leave for London. How would he reveal himself as Ris's brother? It was exciting enough for her to actually go to university, how would _that_ affect her? Would it be way too much distraction from her studies? If it was, she would want to go back to Boston...

"Go with her." said Neal. He didn't even think of these words. All he could think of was the deal about her safety.

"Excuse me?" asked August, probably surprised as well.

"You want Rissy out of town so that she stays away from Emma. But that won't happen if I enter her life."

"Why?"

"Don't you think it will be way too overwhelming if I just... Showed up and announced that I am her long lost brother from a magical land she can't remember a damn thing about? How will she able to stay in London after that? You must go with her and ensure her safety from that crazy ass stalker."

"What? I'm not flying to London with her..." started complaining August.

"Our deal was for her to stay away from Emma while being safe from that guy. If I show up, she goes back to Boston. If no one goes with her to London, she won't be safe."

"Then go and just don't show up."

Neal paused before replying. He didn't want to admit this in front of August, but he didn't know if he would be able to keep himself from talking to her. Watching from a distance would be torture, that was why he hadn't moved to Boston with her and why he never searched for Emma after she was let out of prison.

"You wouldn't be able to do it." realized August.

"Are you willing to risk your oh so important quest?" asked Neal, and for once, August was the one in the difficult state.

* * *

 _ **Storybrooke**_

 _ **Present Time...**_

"He doesn't want the kids." said Emma to Mary Margaret outside their house. She had spoken to that Michael dude, the one Ris had told her about on the phone. But he wouldn't believe that he had twins. He didn't even want to see them, he was too afraid of being a parent.

"And you don't want to tell them." said Mary Margaret.

"I can't. Because all I'll be telling them is that the false hope I gave them is exactly that." replied Emma.

"The truth can be painful, Emma, but it can also be cathartic."

"I agree with the painful part."

"Well, hey, look – you told Henry the truth that his father's dead and he's handling it great."

"I didn't tell him the truth."

"What?"

"Henry's father was no hero and trust me – he does not need to know the real story. And it's not just him I've lied to." said Emma. She didn't know where the last part had came from. She just felt like she could tell Mary Margaret about it...

"What are you talking about?" asked Mary Margaret. Emma put her hands in her pockets and tried to avoid looking at Mary Margaret in the eye. Talking about this was like lying to Henry a few hours ago about his dad.

"Let's just say that a made up story from three years ago could have costed us the presence of Ris right now. The first thing I did when I met her was lie to her." said Emma. It sounded even worse saying it out loud...

"I swear, if this fucking Kawasaki dies on me in the next three days, I'm gonna be heartbroken." said Ris's voice as she appeared next to Mary Margaret out of nowhere.

"What's that on your hands?" asked Mary Margaret, pointing at a few black stains at the tips of her friend's fingers.

"Gas. I'm losing my bike, I don't think I'll be able to handle it." said Ris, acting way too melodramatically.

"Bikes require some time of your day to fix'em up. They're not just for rides." said Emma.

"You should've told me earlier, Swan. Anyways how did it go with daddy dearest? Is he taking in the kids?"

"He's not. But maybe if we hid them..."

"We are not hiding two twelve year olds in the house." said Mary Margaret.

"Just until we can find a family for them. Someone to take care of them." pleaded Emma.

"I don't think anyone would put up with two brats inside a small house. M&M here can barely keep her sanity with the two of us."

"Ris, that's not true..." started Mary Margaret.

"Does any one of you have a better idea?" asked Emma.

"Emma, maybe there isn't an idea. Maybe you just have to-"

"Sheriff. Shouldn't you be on the interstate?" said Regina, who appeared behind Emma with a threatening look on her face, as always.

"What are you doing here?" asked Emma.

"Except trying to annoy us." commented Ris.

"I'm here to see to it that you do your job."

"You know, you don't have to check up on me. I know what I have to do." said Emma.

"Really? Because those kids are supposed to be in Boston tonight."

"We get it, madame mayor. Clock's ticking, there's no need for you to remind us every few hours."

"It appears that I do. Miss Swan, I'll be expecting a call from the system tommorow. Please do your job." said Regina, and she walked past Ris and Mary Margaret, pushing Ris to the side on purpose.

"Bitch..." muttered Ris. She had gotten used to her behavior, and it wasn't like she hadn't returned it in one way or another. There was no point in making a scene. Ris turned back to Emma. "So, what do we do?" she asked.

"There is something..." said Emma.

* * *

Emma opened the car door, not daring to look at the kids. She had promised them she'd find their dad and she had failed them, just like she had Ris three years ago. But this time it would be different. She had discussed her plan with Ris and Mary Margaret, and they thought it would work as well. Well, there also was a fifty percent chance of failure. But Emma was willing to take that risk. She hadn't been a parent for too long, but once Henry looked into her eyes and begged her to stay in his life, she knew she couldn't turn away.

"Come on. It's going to be..." she started saying to Ava, but the girl looked at her hopefully, ready to hold onto any promise that Emma would make, she was _that_ desperate. Emma couldn't make promises that she wasn't sure she could keep. "Here." she told her instead, and and handed her the compass. "I'm sorry. But we have to go."

The kids got on the car, with disappointment all over their faces. Ris, who was standing a few feet away with Regina and Henry, approached her and gave her an encouraging look.

"I know it will work. But... If not. Have a safe journey. Call me, I'll be at Granny's." she said.

"Hopefully not drinking." said Emma.

"That is all up to you, Swan." said Ris, innocently.

"Alright then. Time to go." said Emma, and she opened the driver's seat door and got in the car.

"Let's go, Henry." said Regina to Henry and attempted to take his hand and lead him away from Emma. But Henry snapped his hand out of her grasp and ran straight to Emma'a car window next to Ris.

"No, you can't take them! They can't leave Storybrooke, Emma! They can't. Something bad will happen." he said.

"Champ, as long as you keep postponing Emma's drive, the bad thing will remain." said Ris.

"What do you mean?" asked Henry, looking at both women.

"You might wanna stay awake a bit longer, kid." whispered Emma, trying not to give away anything so that it wouldn't catch Regina's attention.

"Have a nice drive to Boston." said Ris, and she pulled Henry back with her so that Emma could start the car and hit the road.

"Henry, it is time for us to go home." said Regina.

"Mom, can I have dinner at Granny's with Ris?" asked Henry out of the blue.

"It's late." said Regina.

"It actually isn't, it's only seven fifteen." said Ris.

"Please, mom! I promise I'll be back by ten, I really want some of Ruby's hot cocoa." pleaded Henry. Regina was mad. Anyone with eyeballs could see that. But, unfortunately for her, there was no 'don't hang out with Ris' rule. Regina looked at her as if she was going to murder her.

"Drop him at my office at ten sharp." she said. "I have some business to do anyways." she said.

"I'm sure you do, Gina. I guess I'll talk to you later." said Ris and she followed after Henry, who was already on his way at Granny's.

"Now tell me, champ, why so eager to go to Granny's?" asked Ris, trying to keep up with the kid.

"My mom told me a story about my dad, about how he liked pumpkin pies. I thought of buying her some, you know, as a victory gift for saving Hansel and Gretel." replied Henry.

"Hansel and Gr... What?"

"Oh, I didn't tell you? Ava and Nicolas are actually Hansel and Gretel in the book."

"Hm. Makes sense. I guess... So, how are you so sure that she'll succeed, I mean she's already on her way to Boston." asked Ris. She herself was almost one hundrend percent sure that Emma's plan would succeed. But she really wanted to hear Henry's opinion

"She will. She is the savior, she has to." said Henry, as if he was wondering why had she even asked that question. She should've known. Always supportive of his mother.

"I'm sure she does, kid." said Ris, giving him a small smile.

Ris and Henry got to Granny's and hang out there for about half an hour, until Ris got an update call.

"Is it Emma?" asked Henry, with excitement.

"It is." said Ris and picked up. "Did it work?" she asked, not even bothering to say hello.

"It did. He's taking in the kids." said Emma. She sounded really happy. She had prevented two kids from ending up at the system, from ten years living as meal tickets. She sounded pretty proud of herself, just like she should be. Ris mouthed to Henry that she did it, and the kid immediately ran to Ruby and ordered the pumpkin pie. Someone was certainly gonna have a stomachace that night...

* * *

Emma was reading her file in the car. The one that included her article that read 'Still no leads on deadbeat parents – baby Emma remanded to foster system' and another one that read '7 year old boy finds baby on side of road'. It had been so long since then, but it still managed to get to Emma. And though she was more than glad for managing to help Ava and Nicolas, she couldn't help but feel a tad jealous of them...

"Surprise, surprise." said Ris's voice from the window. Henry was by her side, holding a food box from Granny's.

"What's that?" asked Henry.

"Just an old file. What's up?"

"Pumpkin pie. I… I thought you'd like some. It was pumpkin, right?"

Emma smiled. It was a guilty smile...

"Right." she said, and she got out of her car.

"Henry thought it would be a good idea to celebrate your second victory in four days with something sweet. I would suggest something like whiskey, but..."

"No." said Emma, simply.

"I thought so." said Ris, and leaned onto the car.

"Hey, kid, gimme that." said Emma, with a playful smile as Henry gave her the pumpkin pie box.

"What you two did, with Ava and Nicolas... You really are changing things." said Henry.

"And I'm not even a savior." said Ris, smirking.

"You are the savior's best friend. I guess that's close enough." said Henry, causing Ris and Emma to let out a laugh.

Their converstation was interrupted by the sound of an engine which was heard in the distance. Henry, Ris and Emma turned their heads to see where it was coming from. A man on a motorcycle turned the corner and parked across the three of them. There was a large wooden box on the back of his motorcycle.

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me. Here I was thinking that I wouldn't have a lot of reminders of my Kawasaki's shitty state." complained Ris. The guy got off his motorcycle and took off his helmet before approaching them with a polite smile. Ris could swear that his face looked kinda familiar...

"Hi." he said simply.

"Hey." said Emma."

Ris just nodded her head, still upset about the motorcycle reminder.

"Is this Storybrooke?" asked the man.

"Missed the quite huge 'Welcome to Storybrooke' sign?" asked Ris.

"It is." replied Emma, politely.

"Any place to get a room around here?" he asked, choosing to ignore Ris's quite rude comment.

"Uh, you're staying?" asked Henry.

"That's the plan." said the man, looking Henry. "Just looking for a bed."

"Granny's Bed and Breakfast is just up the road, another two blocks." said Emma.

"Thank you." said the man and turned around.

"Hey!" called Ris from behind, making him turn back to her. "This will come out weird, but have we met before?" she asked. The guy put on a sceptical face, but Ris realized that he was actually pretending to be thinking.

"Maybe." he said mysteriously before heading back to his motorcycle. Cocky...

"Hey, I didn't catch your name." called Emma. This time, the stranger didn't turn to face Emma to reply.

"Well, that's because I didn't give it." he said, and he got on his bike and rode away, leaving Henry, Ris and Emma alone again.

"And he's trying to pull off the mysterious stranger thing. Wonderful." commented Ris.

"I thought you said strangers don't come to Storybrooke?" said Emma.

"They don't." replied Henry.

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **1.) Ugh... I took away the Emma/Henry hug... I just thought that it would be awkward with Ris being with them, and I really wanted her to meet August. I was actually smiling _so_ much while writting that part that my face is hurting... :-)  
**

 **2.) I think there are two or three parts left of this flashback. Then we'll be probably heading to Wonderland, you can still vote for which option you like best!**

 **3.) Wasn't Neal cute in the flashback?! Sorry... I might be his number one fan-and I don't even ship swanfire!**

 **4.) I really hope you enjoyed the chap! Thank you for following/favoriting/reading/reviewing! I hope you have the best of the best celebration for New Year's eve!**

 **Untill next time!:-D**


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter 27**

Ris gave one final push on her Kawasaki, so that it was right in front of Michael Tillman, the mechanic whom Emma had convinced to take in Ava and Nicolas. She stood behind it and crossed her arms, expecting to get a reaction from him. She had already asked him to fix her bike once, but he was asking for an impossible amount of cash. Not even Emma could pay for that.

"Miss Silver, I already told you, I can't fix your bike. I'm not familliar with its design and technology, it would take me weeks to figure out what to do. The time I'd spend on it requires some serious repayment." he said, and he walked past Ris and her bike to fix another car.

"Oh no buddy, you'll listen to me." said Ris, following behind him and not allowing him to get to his work in peace. "I had a pretty big part in the operation of helping your kids. I hate kids, and yet I allowed them to stay in my... Well, not my house, but I live there. I even kept them company and tought them how to properly swipe stuff from grocery stores. I think you owe me big time." she said, sounding quite proud of herself.

"You tought them how to 'swipe' stuff? And you expect me to help you?"

"Whoa there, daddy dearest. You haven't been a father for one day, chill." said Ris, laughing teasingly.

"Hand over the cash or you are done here." said Michael, and he pushed Ris aside in order to get beneath the car he was working on. Ris did not take that well. She had been keeping her anger during the few days that her bike had been broken down, she was trying to be a 'decent human being' for once, but it really wasn't worth it. She took off her earing and used its needle to pierce the car's wheel. At that moment, she was glad that she had chosen to wear those earings that the mysterious stranger had sent her three years ago. They were big enough to rip the tire and even make a pop noise. Michael heard that noise and he shot up from the ground.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" he yelled.

"Haven't you heard? I'm the town's phyco now, so you'll either fix my bike or run for your life." replied Ris, pointing at him with her index finger.

"You are insane, I'm reporting you." he said.

"Too bad my best friend's the sheriff."

"She's sheriff, she'll do her job."

"Mr Gold is also on my side. Wouldn't mess with that one if I were you." said Ris. Michael actually looked threatened by that. Ris herself didn't know where the last part had came from, but it was always good to have the most feared man in town on her side. Actually... She didn't really know which side that man was on. Sometimes it appeared that he was on hers, but still something was off about him. She didn't even know what she should call him, her enemy, ally, aquintance or... dare she say her friend?

After she practically threatened Michael inside his own property, she turned and left, leaving her bike where it was. She knew Michael wouldn't fix it. But it at least would be safe from the storm that was about to come.

* * *

 _ **New York**_

 _ **Two Yeard Ago...**_

Ris was sitting on her seat on the plane to London. Emma had told her that the flight would last for about ten hours. She had traveled on a plane before, the orphanage had arranged a trip to Disneyland Paris when she was twelve years old, but her fear of heights still hadn't passed. And the fact that she had to sit between the window and a very annoying old hag who wouldn't stop barfing her plane food in plastic bags was making her situation even worse. It felt like she was in that plane for days, when it was only two hours.

The seat besides the old lady was avaiable, but she had taken over it as well, as if her own seat wasn't enough, she just had to lie down on two of them. Ris was stuck beside the window and she was trying to fall asleep, and maybe when she woke up the plane would have arrived to London. But how the hell was she supposed to sleep when the hag besides her had practically transformed her seat into a fucking luxury spa. She was lied down, fixing her nails while eating the plane food that she would surely barf out of her system in a few minuites. She had even asked for Ris's food, and Ris was more than happy to get rid of it.

The hag looked like she was about to barf once again.

"I swear to God, if you barf one more time, I'm smashing this window open and I'm throwing you out of this plane. You can't take the plane food so stop fucking eating it." yelled Ris, not that loudly, but loud enough to attract some attention from people sitting close to her. The lady... If anyone could call her a lady, threw her a glare, but she got off her seat and headed to the bathroom. Probably to barf some more. Ris let out a sigh of relief, and she tried to get more comfortable now that she could, cause her seat-mate wouldn't be gone forever.

"That's some tough luck you've got there." said a man's voice from the set of seats across her. She turned her head to check out who had spoken. It was a guy, probably in his mid twenties, quite handsome, who was sitting on his own next to the window.

"I swear, someone has placed bombs in her stomach." she replied, throwing the stranger a humorless smile. That caused some complaints from people that were close enough to hear her.

"Yeah, I know it's a forbidden word in a plane, so sue me." she said, losing her patience. She looked back at the stranger, who was actually grinning at her attitude. "Not funny." said Ris, and she leaned back at her seat.

"So... What are you doing in London?" asked the stranger.

"College. I still think it is a miracle that I passed."

"What are you studying?"

"And why should I tell _you_?"

"Cause I've been to London quite a few times. Well, I mostly spend my time in Phukett, but I travel a lot. I can tell you all you need to know about the city."

"No thanks. I would much rather not to talk to a stranger that might be a stalker."

"I heard they are serving pudding in two hours. I bet your seat-mate will love it." said the stranger with a smirk, and he looked away from her. Ris finally looked at him, throwing him a glare. But she then heard the bathroom door open over the chatting people. She made a sound of annoyance that the stranger actually had a point. She grabbed her backpack and got off her seat before the old hag got there. She dumped her bag next to the stranger's seat, and then sat at its left side. The guy looked satisfied by seeing her there, his smirk said that much.

"You are an ass." said Ris, and she took out her headphones and mp4. "Don't wake me untill we land." she said and closed her eyes after putting her headphones on her head.

"As you wish." said _August_ , silently laughing to himself.

* * *

 _ **Storybrooke**_

 _ **Present Time...**_

"Fuck the storm, fuck my shitty bike, and fuck my life." said Ris as soon as set foot inside Granny's. Not many people were inside the dinner, but everyone that actually _was_ there, it was for shelter. It was storming like a bitch outside, and Ris's slightly wet hair were proof of that. She was lucky that she was close to Granny's when that storm started, or she would end up like that poor little cat that she spotted a few miles away.

"Someone's in a mood today." said Leroy, taking a sip of his beer.

"Shut up, Leroy. Where's Ruby?" asked Ris.

"How am I supposed to know, sister?"

"Uh, cause you practically live here."

"I'm here." said Ruby, putting on a smiley face as she exited the kitchen. "What can I get you, Ris?" she asked.

"Anything that includes lots of fries." said Ris and she sat on a stool in front of the booth.

"I'll come up with something." said Ruby.

"Don't forget the ketchup!" yelled Ris as Ruby walked back in the kitchen. Ruby gave her an assuring thumbs up. Ris just lied her head on the booth while waiting for her order to arrive. She looked around the diner to pass the time when she spotted something very interesting. It was the stranger from last night, the one with the bike whose name she still didn't know. He was sitting at the table across her, exactly as mysterious as he was yesterday. She studied him closely as he drank his coffee, with his little wooden box by his side. He still looked annoyingly familiar for some even more annoying reason.

"You are staring." he said, without looking away from his coffee.

"Duh, of course I am. I asked you if I knew you from somewhere and you came up with the most cryptic ass reply."

"Isn't it frustrating how a five lettered word like 'maybe' can cause so many unjustified suspicions?" said the stranger. Ris raised her head from the booth, curiously. The guy was actually mocking her. And Ris, being Ris, wouldn't have it. She quickly got off her seat, and took over the one across the stranger. He didn't look surprised that she actually did that, he just kept drinking his coffee.

"I don't trust you." said Ris, simply.

"Did I ever mention, during the five minuites we have spoken so far, that you have to?"

"Actually, no, you practically have a label that reads 'hey, I'm the new mysterious dude with the even more mysterious box, nothing to see here'. Smart talk your way out of that one." said Ris, grabbing the guy's coffee and having a sip of it.

"I think that your own label reads 'Way too curious about a new face that I'm making up excuses to find out more about said face'." said the stranger, taking his coffee back. Ris raised her eyebrow, cause it was actually rare for someone to keep up a converstation like that with her.

"Okay, you are good at this. But can you please cut the bullcrap and tell me if we have ever met before? Cause the mysterious stranger act you are trying to pull is pissing me off." asked Ris, getting really annoyed by the guy's attitude.

"Search deep inside your brain, and maybe you'll find out."

"Can't you just give me a straight answer? My head is way too wet right now to think clearly." said Ris, pointing at her wet from the storm hair. The stranger rolled his eyes, but admitted defeat.

"I guess I can give you a hint." he said.

"See? Wasn't that hard, right?" said Ris with a smirk.

"Plane food." he said, simply.

"What do you mean pl..." started Ris, but realization crossed her face before she finished. "No way. You are that asshole from the flight to London?" she asked.

"Yeah, from the flight to the country you should be at right now. I'm no proffesor, but I know it takes longer than two years to complete something like police forces studying."

"I quitted college. But that's not the point, are you stalking me?"

"Oh, it's the accusations part." said the stranger, rolling his eyes in amusement.

"Hell yeah it is, what are you doing in Storybrooke? And what is inside that box of yours?"

"Something that helps me with work."

"What is your work?"

"Is this the 21 questions?"

"Might as well be and I might as well make it the 100 questions."

The interogation was interrupted by the dinner's bell, which was accompanied by Emma's footsteps. She was wearing way more clothing than Ris was, so she hadn't gotten wet from the storm.

"Great, now Swan's here, an actual cop. Emma, come over please." she said, catching Emma's attention. The blonde walked towards her and the stranger, looking kinda mad.

"I've been looking everywhere for you and here you are, talking with the new guy."

"Why were you looking for me?"

"Because of a complaint I got from Michael Tillman. He said that you used your earing to pop a car's wheel." said Emma. The stranger grinned at that, finding it quite amusing.

"He'll get over it. I'm interrogating now and I need you as a witness." said Ris. That caused Emma to spare a look at the stranger.

"How convenient. The second person I was looking for today." she said. "We need to talk."

"Why?" asked the stranger.

"Because you are suspicious."

"Called it." said Ris, glad that someone was agreeing with her.

"I'm suspicious. Sitting here, out in the open, drinking coffee. I wonder what kind of hell I would've raised had I ordered a donut." said the stranger.

"Your mere presence here is raising hell. One day in Storybrooke and sheriff's already onto you."

"You were talking to Henry." said Emma.

"You mean the little kid who came up to me asking me questions? Is that unusual for him? Being curious and precocious?" said the stranger. He actually sounded like he already knew what Emma's answer would be.

"What were you doing outside his house?" asked Emma, still trying to find excuses to interogate the stranger.

"My bike broke down. It happens."

"At least someone knows of my pain..." said Ris, refering at her own bike's shitty state.

"Your mysterious box. What's in it?" asked Emma.

"This is really turning into 21 questions." said Ris.

"And the answer to that question you won't find out in one of them." said the stranger.

"Well, then the 22nd question will be accompanied by a punch in the face."

"It's awfully frustrating not knowing, isn't it?"

"Just tell us." said Emma.

"Why? Is it illegal to carry around a box in these parts?"

"No of course not."

"You really want to know what's inside it, don't you?"

"No." said Emma.

"Yes." said Ris, at the same time. Emma glared at Ris for that reply. "I wanna know what's in that box." said Ris, innocently. Emma sighed, and sat next to Ris.

"Okay, maybe." she admitted. Both women prepared for an answer to please their curiosity.

"I'm going to make you wait. You're going to have to wait a long time and watch me carry it around. Hauling it to strange and mysterious places. And with each passing moment, the mystery will become more tantalizing. Your imagination will inflame, but so will your frustration. Never knowing – only guessing – what could possibly be inside that box?" said the stranger, with confidence. Ris was sure that if it was possible, she would've turned into Hades and throw flames out of her head from anger. She put on her calmest face possible before she spoke.

"I'll make this clear. Open that box on this table, or I'm stabbing you with Leroy's fork." said Ris, pointing at a totally unaware Leroy.

"Well, If your friend could let me buy her a drink sometime, I'll tell you both right now." he said. Ris rolled her eyes at that.

"You wanna buy me a drink." stated Emma.

"Yes." said the stranger.

"Okay. A drink it is." said Emma. She must've been _really_ curious.

The stranger looked satisfied. He reached for the box and placed it on their table.

"Halelujah." said Ris, as the stranger opened the box and revealed a... Typewritter?

"Are you fucking joking me?" asked Ris.

"Really?" asked Emma at the same time.

"I'm a writter."

"Really? I didn't cut you as the type during the flight to London."

"Always good to surprise."

"Wait, what?" asked Emma, confused.

"Long story, Swan. So, is this why you are in Storybrooke?" said Ris.

"I find this place provides…inspiration. Don't you?" said the stranger and closed the box.

"Wait. Have you been here before?" asked Emma.

"I didn't say that." he replied, and he got up to leave the dinner.

"And we are back to mystery talking." commented Ris.

"What about that drink?" asked Emma, before the guy left.

"I said sometime." he replied, and he left.

"Asshole." muttered Ris, having the rest of his coffee.

"So wait, you know that guy?"

"Not really. We were seat-mates during my flight to London. Kinda hard to forget, but I was sleeping almost the entire flight."

"I thought you said an old hag was your 'seat-mate'. You spent one hour describing every detail about how awful she was."

"Does it matter? You are the one he is having the drink with." said Ris, winking at Emma. The blonde rolled her eyes and moved to sit where the stranger was previously sitting.

"Have you ordered something?"

"Something with fries. Let's hope that Ruby hasn't _died_ and that she is actually taking care of that."

* * *

 **A/N: HAPPY NEW YEAR! :-D**

 **Hello! Here's the update, hope you liked!:-)**

 **1.) What do you think of the Ris/August interactions?;-)**

 **2.) Ris was being a little bitch at the biginning of this chap. I loved it!**  
 **3.) I'm almost halfway through the season! The next episode will be done in one chap as well (cause Ris will not be joinning Emma and Sydney), so yay for that!:-)**

 **4.) I hate fanfiction's technical problems... It won't show me my two last reviews and I really want to read them! I didn't even receive an email about them! So whoever reviewed and didn't receive a reply, that's the reason. Whatever... I hope it will be fixed soon.**

 **5.) Hope you liked! Until next time!:-)**


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter 28**

A loud beeping sound was what awoke Ris from her evening nap. The past few days, she had been trying to investigate on the new guy, whose name she still didn't know. She even tried to fish for information from Ruby and Granny, since he was staying at the bed and breakfast, and although Ruby was more than willing to do some gossiping, Granny wouldn't reveal any information to her. Her research had still been tiring, she hadn't even managed to get a hold on that guy. He was either out all day and night looking for inspiration, or he was locked in his room, writting on his old ass typewritter.

And just when she was finally getting some sleep, she was receiving a call. She groaned sleepily and she tried to reach at the coffe table without getting up from the couch. She only managed to fall down on the floor, where she grabbed her phone and answered, without getting up.

"What?" she said when she picked up.

"Ris, you need to come at the castle, it's an emergency!" said Henry from the other line.

"Kid, the only castle I would go to right now would be Hogwarts to get a sleeping potion. And whose phone are you using?" she asked.

"Regina's, she doesn't know. Ris please, this is an Operation Cobra emergency, Emma is coming as well." said Henry with a pleading tone.

"She'll fill me in when she gets back."

"No, you have to come!"

"God, you are so persistant. Fine, I'm coming. Just stop acting like an even brattier version of Justin Bieber." said Ris, and she hung up. Straight away, there was a loud noise heard from Mary Margaret's room.

"M&M? Are you alive?" she called, getting up from the floor.

"I'm fine!" yelled Mary Margaret, getting out of her room and trying to wrap her scarf around her neck.

"Where are you off to in such a hurry?" said Ris with a small laugh at the teacher's clumsiness when she knocked down a chair from the dining table.

"Nowhere important, I just don't like being late." said Mary Margaret.

"A date with David?" joked Ris, as she headed to the fridge to grab something before she met Henry at his castle. Mary Margaret did not seem to take that lightly. She immediately stopped fighting with her scarf and she looked at Ris as if she had seen a ghost.

"How do you know that?" she asked. Ris was about to have some ice cream, but she decided against it. What she had just discovered was so mush sweeter.

"I don't. Well, I didn't until you just told me." she said, and she left the ice cream tube on the counter. Mary Margaret looked even more horrified than before.

"But you said..."

"I was kidding. But you sure as hell weren't. When did you and David become a thing and why didn't you tell me?"

"We- we are not a thing. We are just... We are just 'chilling', as you would say."

"Have you guys had sex while you were 'chilling'?"

"Ris!"

"So you _did_ have sex! Was it good?" asked Ris, with a smirk.

"No!"

"It wasn't good?"

"No, we haven't... Done this yet."

"Yet? So you plan on doing it in the future."

"I didn't say that. Can we stop talking about my love life? What about _your_ love life?"

"Two words. Non. Existant. And I'm pretty happy with that thank you very much. But no, you don't get to change the subject. Where are you meeting David?" asked Ris. Mary Margaret realized that it was useless avoiding the converstation, so she might as well get it out of her chest.

"Behind the Toll Bridge. He wants to talk."

"Oh no. It's the 'talk' thing. Maybe you shouldn't go. I can cover up for you, I'll tell him you are sick."

"Don't be ridiculous, I'm sure it's nothing to be worried about."

"Yeah, he's probably out of condoms. Since his sex life with his wife is even less existant than my love life."

"Uh, yeah, about that..."

"What?"

"Nothing! I'll see you when I get home!" said Mary Margaret, and she banged the door closed before Ris could ask for further explanations.

"Okay. There goes that one." muttered Ris, and she returned to her ice cream plan.

* * *

Henry could only stand and watch as the construction team was tearing his castle appart. The only place where he could hang out with Emma and Ris without Regina knowing. It was gone. He had already called both Emma and Ris, hoping that they could say or do something to stop it, but it was already too late. If anything had happened to his book...

"Hey, kid! What happened, I came as fast as I could." said Emma when she arrived. She rushed by Henry's side to see what was wrong.

"The castle! She's tearing the whole thing down!" replied Henry. He then noticed a big hole in the ground, and he realized that was where he had hidden his book. He took a few steps closer to make sure it was still there. And it wasn't... "My book... It's... It's gone." he said, sadly.

The sound of an engine was heard in the distance, and Henry knew it was Ris. Her bike had broken down, and since the mechanic refused to fix it, she tried it herself. It was working now, but it managed to make the loudest sounds. Ris got off it after cursing at it for its state, and she rushed towards Henry and Emma.

"What the fuck is the big bad mayor doing?" she asked, pointing at the castle with an expression that just shouted that she was mad.

"Regina found out about this place yesterday. A day after, she gets it demolished." replied Emma.

"And she took the book!" added Henry.

"What book?"

"Seriously? Over which book have we been banging our heads on walls since we arrived?" asked Emma, sarcastically.

"That's why she is tearing the castle down, so that she can have it!" said Henry.

"You hid it here?"

"I burried it..."

"I'm not sure it was the book she was after. But she's gonna hear it from me anyways. You two wait here." said Emma, and she approached Regina, who was standing at the corner admiring her piece of work.

"Congratulations, Madam Mayor. You destroyed the thing he loves." said Emma in a scolding tone.

"A dangerous thing that can only hurt Henry and others." replied Regina, making sure that Emma would be the one to appear as the bad guy. "You see me as a villain, Miss Swan, but that's just your perception and you're wrong. Learn your place in this town or, soon enough, you won't be in it."

"We both know that's not about safety, I told you that it could be fixed, Henry loved that place."

"And you were willing to take the risk of Henry getting hurt? Well I'm not and I do not appreciate your tone." said Regina, and turned to leave. But she turned to add something before she did so. "Oh, and please tell your friend not to use that bike of hers so often. The noise it makes might bother someone. It's bad enough that we now have two riders in town. They might as well be quiet." she said, and she went ahead to get Henry and leave. Emma remained where she was, resisting the urge to punch her in the face. Her hand went automatically inside her pocket and before she knew, she was dialing Sydney's number. A few days back, he had asked for her help to take down Regina. She had fired him from the newspaper and he seemed pretty upset about it. But he was drunk, she didn't take him seriously. But if he had leads that could make Regina pay for what she did to Herny's castle...

"What are you doing?" asked Ris, approaching her curiously.

"Nothing." replied Emma, and made a move to put her phone back in her pocket. Ris was faster and she grabbed it before that.

"Is that Sydney Glass's number?" she asked after she looked through Emma's phone, with disgust in her voice, as if she had just tasted something that had fallen on the floor.

"How do you even know what his phone number is?"

"Uh... Definetely not because of a prank call that I did a while ago with M&M. But seriously, why are you calling Sydney?"

Emma sighed in defeat, knowing that she wouldn't get out of this.

"Cause he thinks he has a lead that could cause Regina's downfall."

"Since when?"

"Since yesterday."

"And you believe him?"

"Well, he is a journalist, Regina fired him... Isn't that a good enough reason to trust him?"

"No. He is her lap dog, just like Graham was, you can never trust him."

"Not anymore, Regina is punishing him for not becoming sheriff and beating me."

"Sydney might be dumb, but he is still under Regina's control. And until you have proof that he isn't, I suggest you don't press that call button." said Ris, and she handed Emma's phone back to her. "Now, I'll go work on my bike a while longer. I'll see you later." she said, and she headed to her bike.

Unfortunately for Ris, Emma had already decided what she would do. Regina was keeping her away from Henry, she had declared war on her ever since she came to Storybrooke, and now she was threatening to take away her job. Her patience had its limits, and if destroying her meant that she would have to work with Sydney, so be it. She did exactly what Ris told her not to do. She pressed the call button and waited for Sydney to reply.

"Hello?" said his voice when he picked up.

"Sydney? Hi. I'm in. I want everyone to know who she really is."

* * *

 _ **London**_

 _ **Two Years Ago...**_

Two months. That was how much time had passed since Neal had made August move to London. He had been watching over Ris for two freaking months. He had been watching over Emma for much longer than that, but with breaks. And frequent trips. He couldn't even go and talk to Ris, making this mission more bearable that way. That would only confirm her suspicions about him being a stalker. Besides, he wouldn't want to make her little boy toy jealous... Yeah, that's right. She had actually met someone during her time in college, nothing serious, and she was probably using him to pass the time, but watching them kissing each other was a sight that August didn't really want to see.

And still, there he was. Watching over her and her boyfriend as he was taking her home. There really was no point in doing that anymore, it looked like the girl wasn't in danger anymore. Her mysterious stalker had probably gotten scared and chickened out. But Neal would surely give him a hard time if he dared to leave. Sure, he didn't have to know, but all the bad things August had done his entire life were too much to add another one on the list.

After Ris got home, August called it a day. He went back to the appartment he was renting, crossing another day off the calendar till Emma's 28th birthday. It was still a year and a half away. This was getting a little bit too much.

Right when he was about to finally get some sleep, he got a call. If it was Neal, he surely had a lot to hear.

"Hello?" he said.

"Hey, you." said a female voice, in another language. _This call was from Phuket..._

"Hey there. Long time no see." he said in the language he had came to learn by heart.

"And who's the one to blame for that? You told me you wouldn't be gone for too long." said the woman, faking hurt in her voice.

"Yeah, there has been a change of plans. I'm in London now, taking care of some things. I might be away for a while."

"And you wouldn't bother giving me a call to let me know?"

"You know how much these calls cost?"

"Whatever, it doesn't matter. But seriously, what could possibly be so important right now to keep you away for two months?"

"You have no idea..."

"Can't you make some time and come back for a while? Phuket's nightlife is missing you." she said, and August didn't have to look at her to know that she was smirking michievously.

"Sounds pretty tempting, I must say. But that's really important, I can't really get out of this."

"Who are you and what did you do to August? I thought you said that the most important thing in life is enjoying ourselves as much as we can." she said, her voice not losing its cheerfulness.

August didn't really know how to reply, but he knew one thing. He was missing the beach, and it sure as hell was missing him in return...

* * *

 _ **Storybrooke**_

 _ **Present Time...**_

"You really think that you'll lose track of the fairytale identities?" asked Ris, taking a sip of her hot cocoa. Since Emma was working with Sydney to supposedly uncover some big secret that Regina was hiding and M&M was enjoying herself with David, she decided to hang with Henry a little at Granny's.

"Lots of stuff are in that book. Who knows how long it will be missing?" replied Henry.

"I don't think you'll miss anyone important. By the way, is Robin Hood anywhere in Storybrooke? Cause the story you gave months ago included him and his wife."

"I haven't found him yet. But I'm sure I will. Hey, do you have any idea who Mr Gold could be? I'm still trying to figure that out."

"I sure do."

"Really?" asked Henry with excitement.

"He's Oogie Boogie from the "Nightmare before Christmas." replied Ris, casually.

"You mean the boogie man? He doesn't exist."

"Might not, but he's still haunting my nightmares." said Ris, making Henry grin a little.

"What are you working on?" said a voice next to Henry. It was the mysterious stranger, who had finally decided to make his presence known after all the research Ris tried to do.

"Finally decided to get out of your cave?" muttered Ris.

"I have no time, I need to write it all down before I forget." replied Henry, both him and the stranger ignoring Ris's comment.

"Yeah, I hate it when great ideas slip away from me." said the stranger.

" _If_ you are actually a writter and not a member of an evil organization that plans to take over the world." said Ris.

"How long is this suspicious thing going to last?" he asked.

"It's not just me, Henry doesn't trust you either. Isn't that right, Henry?"

"I have no time to pick sides." replied Henry.

"Sure, use your book as an excuse, why don't you?" said Ris. She actually thought that the stranger would leave, but he took a seat next to Henry, looking particularly interested in what the kid was doing.

"What kind of ideas are you writting down?" he asked him.

"They are not mine. They are from a book that I lost." replied Henry.

"Must be a hell of a book. What's it about?"

"Careful there champ, don't give away too much info." said Ris.

"Stuff." replied Henry, after considering what to say.

"Sounds exciting." replied the stranger, rolling his eyes at Henry's secrecy and Ris's over the to suspicion.

"You seem awfully interested in me and my book." stated Henry.

"No, I'm just being neighbourly." replied the stranger, innocently. Ris scoffed at that.

"That's what I used to say back in London when I wanted to gossip on my roomates. Admit it, you are hoping to uncover some sort of mystery shit to get over your writter's block."

"What are you doing in Storybrooke?" asked Henry.

"I'm a writter." replied the stranger, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"There are plenty inspiring places in the world. Like Phuket for example." said Ris.

"Impressive. You held onto that information." he replied, faking surprise.

"Hard to forget the obnoxious seat mate of a ten hour flight. But you are missing the point here."

"She's right, you can write anywhere, what are you really doing here?" asked Henry, deciding to ignore the fact that Ris and the stranger actually knew each other. The stranger leaned towards Henry, as if he was actually going to answer his question.

"Stuff." he said instead.

"I'm gonna break your arm if you don't give a straight answer." said Ris, getting annoyed at the mysterious thing about that guy. Again.

"Good luck with the stories." he said, casually, completely ignoring Ris's theat, and he left the dinner, probably off looking for more inspiration.

"I hate that guy." said Ris, getting back to her cocoa.

"He knows something. He's from the Enchanted Forest."

"Well, he enjoys riddles, so he must've been the Sphynx."

"Hey, don't mock. I'll find out who he is. After I finish this."

"Please do. I'd love to know that myself... Anyways, Emma's mystery 'uncover' should've started by now. I wouldn't want to miss that one. I will catch you later." said Ris, and she placed the cash for the cocoa on the booth.

"Wait, can I come with you?" asked Henry with excitement.

"Well, this is probably not gonna end well and your moms would kill me, so no. Stick to the stories and I'll fill you in what I get back." replied Ris, heading to the exit.

"Okay..." said Henry, and he got back to his notes.

* * *

Emma couldn't believe what had happened. A play house. Regina was taking money for a play house for kids. And once again, she appeared as the good guy in front of the citizens, while she was left with rage. She just wanted to beat her once. To have her own thing pass. Like when she became sheriff, that felt really great. If Henry found out about this... She didn't know how he would feel, but it couldn't be good.

"Look at her – queen of the castle." said Gold's voice, as he joined her and Sydney after watching the 'fiasco' inside. He sounded annoyingly satisfied at her failure. "You know, what you did in there was commendable, Miss Swan. But if you really want to bring her down, you're going to need a strong ally."

"Like yourself?" asked Emma. Gold nodded, as if it was obvious. "Thanks, but I'm still not interested." she said.

"Fuck, I missed the whole thing?" said Ris's voice, as she took fast steps towards them.

"Well, you didn't miss a lot, if that makes it any better." said Gold.

"Let me guess. It went shit." said Ris. Emma didn't reply. Admitting her failure out loud would just make her feel even worse. "Well, what did you expect with Sydney as your ally? I'd ally with _him_ before I'd trust a newspaper dude that knows even less than Jon Snow." she added, pointing at Gold's direction. Gold appeared glad to hear Ris say that.

"You should take your friend's advice, Miss Swan. Have a nice evening." he said, and turned away and left. As soon as he did, Regina approached them, looking awfully happy as well for someone that had been accused by the town's sheriff.

"Miss Swan. A word? Alone?" she said, looking at Ris and Sydney.

"Whatever. Come on, lap dog." said Ris and she walked a few feet away, with Sydney following behind her.

"We'll get her next time. This time we lost because she saw it coming." he said.

"Wow. The amount of how many fucks I give is smaller than your brain." replied Ris, sounding pretty angry.

"You might be mocking now, but you'll see."

"Only in your dreams, Sydney. Only in your dreams..."

* * *

 **A/N: Yes! OMG I got the episode out of the way! I don't** _ **hate**_ **it, it's just my least favorite.** **It gave me one hell of a writter's blog...** **I liked the flashback though. We are HALFWAY through season 1! And it took me, what? Half a year? So that's that, not really much to say other than the fact that Eddie Kitsis and Mark Isham are testing my patience with their recent actions... Dropping bombs and then saying that a certain person will be "discussed" about. Ugh, they are just assholes.;-) Anyway, I'll hopefully get the next update faster, thank you for reading/favoriting/following/reviewing, and until next time!:-D**


	28. Chapter 28

**Chapter 29**

 **A/N: In this version, Moe went off to steal from Gold right after he took his truck. And yes, I did change it up for my own convenience.:-) And the flashback is set** _ **before**_ **all the fiasco in the Enchanted Forest that Ris caused. Hope you enjoy!:-D**

* * *

Valentine's day sucked. It had always been Ris's least favorite day of the year. Something about the so called 'romantic' atmosphere and the way it made people act like, which was all 'lovey dovey', was a major turnoff that always highlighted that dreadful day. And it wasn't even there yet. But everyone was talking about it everywhere she turned, as if they had never celebrated it before. That was the main reason why Ris had taken her order from Granny's at hand and left the diner immediately. She was in for about five minuites, and it still felt like Ruby had been talking about her 'romantic' plans a whole lifetime. Sitting at home all day doing nothing suddenly sounded like heaven, so that was exactly what Ris was planning on doing for the next 48 hours.

 _"You are the lowest!"_ she heard someone scream from the opposite sidewalk. Ris took her eyes off her phone for a moment to see what was going on. It was Moe French, the guy that owned the flower shop. He was screaming at someone, but his truck was in the way and she couldn't see who it was. Naturally, she was curious about Mr French's frustration. She had met the guy and spoken to him once or twice during her stay in Storybrooke, and from what she had made of him, he was always pretty calm.

She made her pace a tad faster when she began to cross the road.

"What in the world is going on?" she asked Moe. Moe looked at her as if she was the last person he wanted to see at that moment.

"Ask _him_." he simply said, pointing at behind the truck. When the vehicle moved out of the way, Ris was not surprised to see Mr Gold standing behind it, with a satisfied look on his face.

"Let me guess. You couldn't pay the rent." said Ris, sending a glare towards Gold, who was beginning to leave.

"Isn't that always the case with that guy?"

"From what I've witnessed during the time I've been here, my answer has to be yes. And I'm guessing this wasn't the first time he's done something like this."

"He's been terrorizing the whole town for... As long as I can remember. He's done even worse." replied Moe. Ris kept glaring at Gold, even though he was distracted by the big bad mayor, who looked less than displeased about speaking to him. She just couldn't quite understand him or his motives. He always seemed to have a grand plan for everything that would somehow benefit him, but how would any of the things he had achieved help him? He was already the richest and most feared man in town, what more could he possibly want?

"I'll get him some day. You can mark my words, he's going to pay for this and everything else." said Moe, determined. Ris really doubted that. No matter what happened, Gold would always be able to keep it cool and get out of it, or use it for his own advantage.

"Well, while you keep on dreaming of the impossible, I think it's time for me to give that bastard a piece of my mind." she said, and she pushed past Moe, heading to where Gold and Regina were conversing.

"Gold!" she yelled before she reached the sidewalk. Both him and Regina looked at her, Regina furiously, as always, and Gold appeared to be just downright annoyed. "Congratulations. You've just ruined Valentine's day. And here I was thinking that only the Grinch could destroy holidays."

"I most certainly have no idea what you are talking about, Miss Silver. How can one man alone ruin an entire day for you?" he asked, pretending to be totally clueless.

"Oh you didn't ruin it for me, you actually did me a favor. But you know what they say about the needs of the many. Now every guy in town is gonna get dumped because the only flower shop here will be closed."

"I don't think any self respecting woman would ever do that. And if you'd excuse us, I was having a converstation with Mr Gold. You'd best be on your way." said Regina.

"Actually, no, we were not having any type of converstation, madame mayor. The moment you have something I want to discuss, we'll have that little chat." replied Gold.

"No, we're going to do this now. It'll only take a moment."

"Is there something eating you, dear? Something you need to get out in the open? Cause it's going to have to wait. Please." replied Gold, rudely.

"He'd actually rather listen to my ranting than what you have to say. This is quite amusing." said Ris teasingly.

"I would much rather to be left in peace. For once." said Gold, calmly, before walking past both women.

"Well, too bad cause I don't take orders from you. I'm not done ranting." said Ris, quickly catching up to him, leaving Regina behind.

"If this is about Mr French, I did what I had to do according to the law." said Gold.

"Yeah right, keep telling yourself that. We both know that you only took his truck so that he can't sell the flowers tommorow and pay your damn rent."

"Why would I want to do that? The fact that February the 14th is tommorow is a mere coincidence."

"Bullcrap. Admit it, you took the truck just because you wanted to be a jerk."

Gold couldn't believe that she actually kept going on and on about the subject, even when they reached his home. Since they had walked all the way over there, it took them about twenty minuites that felt like a lifetime. The girl just wouldn't stop yelling at him about pointless reasons.

"Are you planning on following me inside as well, Miss Silver?" he asked, sarcastically.

"That's where you live? Well, at least I now know where to throw the eggs at." she replied.

"Have a good evening." said Gold, and he walked up the walkway to his house. Where thankfully the girl wouldn't follow him.

"I don't think it will be all that good for you. Unless you purposely left your door open." she called from behind, more seriously, pointing at Gold's front door. Gold looked up, to see that she was actually right. The door was half open, and he surely hadn't left it that way. It appeared that someone had broken in while he was out.

"It appears that this is the appropreate moment for you to leave." said Gold, not wanting to have to deal with her as well as the robbery.

"Hell no, things are getting interesting here. Besides, the thief might still be inside and your only weapon is a cane for your very broken leg." said Ris, and she quickly ran by his side, ready to enter the house. Gold decided that arguing for any longer would be pointless, so he cautiously entered his home. He opened the first drawer he had on the left and drew out a gun.

"Whoa there. I take back what I said about the cane..." said Ris. Gold shushed her, getting annoyed at the pleasure she took in his robbery.

"Stay behind." he said as he moved further in the house.

"As if..." muttered Ris, and followed behind him. "Whoever broke in must have gotten away already. I don't think he would've left the front door open if he was still here, that would alert neighbours and he'd be busted."

"Trust me on that one, the person that did this is _that_ foolish."

They both heard the floor creak behind them, and they turned around simultaneously. Thankfully, it was only Emma, who was pointing a gun at them.

"Ris?" said the blonde upon seeing her friend at the last place she thought she could be. "What are you doing here?" she asked.

"What are _you_ doing here, Sheriff Swan?" asked Gold.

"Your neighbour saw your front door open – they called it in."

"See? It's always the nighbours."

"It appears I've been robbed."

"Funny how that keeps happening to you."

"Yeah, well, I'm a difficult man to love."

"That's an understatement..." commented Ris.

* * *

 _ **Neverland**_

 _ **A Long Time Ago...**_

Baelfire felt relieved when he heard small footsteps outside his cave. She had never been gone for that long and he was afraid that Felix, or worse, Pan had gotten to her. He felt even more relieved when he heard three sharp knocks on the cave's entrance. He was quick to push the rock blocking the way aside, allowing his sister to enter, carrying a bunch of firewood.

"You big idiot." she said, handing Bae everything she was carrying as she tried to move the rock back to its place.

"What did I do?" he asked, giving her a hand. She might have lived in Neverland for many years, but no child ever grew up there. So she was still inside her eight, almost nine year old body. If anyone would listen to the way she spoke and acted, they would know that she really wasn't anywhere near an eight year old girl. The same thing applied for him as well. He looked fourteen, but had survived so many things and he had seen so much, that his experience reached one of an old man's.

"You forgot about the password. Again." said Rissy when they finally closed the entrance.

"I didn't forget about it, but who else could it be other than you?" said Bae.

"Felix. Pan. Rufio. Need I go on?"

"They haven't found us in years. They've probably even lost interest in finding us."

"Or maybe that's what they want us to believe. So that we will lower our defences and give them the opportunity to get to us and make us part of the... 'Lost ones'." said Rissy, her tone revealing disgust while mentioning the lost ones. It was no secret that she hated each and every last one of them, especially the brothers, Felix and Rufio. Not to mention their leader, Pan.

"Or, maybe you are just being paranoid." said Bae, as calmly as possible. He was used to calming his little sister down when she was losing her temper. Which happened at least three times a week.

"Or, maybe you are being too naive." she replied. Bae really hated the 'or maybe' game.

"How am I naive? I've experienced the same as you have."

"Yes, but you at least had a family for one year. The Darlings. I didn't have the luxury. After you disappeared in the stupid glowy green hole..."

"You had to live one more year with papa, who was growing more and more mad each day that passed." said Bae, as he had heard the story multiple times.

"And not only that. He also never allowed me to leave the house. Ever. He sealed the windows with magic so that I wouldn't sneak out. He called that protection. I called it imprisonment." said Rissy, and she tried to calm down. She ran her fingers through her hair, in a way that reminded Bae of how many times he had done that himself, and she sat down on her makeshift bed. Bae sighed in regret. He really did not mean to upset her. But Neverland was always so godamn stressful that the anger just kept building inside him, making him feel the need to release some of it from time to time. Unfortunately, his only option was his sister, the only person he ever saw appart from the fairy Tinker Bell. But then again, that was very rare.

He tried to comfort her by placing his hand on her shoulder. She quickly shook her shoulder and forced his hand away.

"Sorry, I just want to help you." he said.

"I don't need your help or your pity. You are in the exact same position as I am, stop acting like you are handling it better." she replied, and she quickly got up from her bed, heading to their cave's entrance once more.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"Tink. Even she will be a more alive company than you are right now." she replied. Bae felt relieved when he spotted some humor in her voice. Even if she had practically called him a zombie.

"You can't go alone, it's still nightime."

"Almost always it's nightime here, Bae."

"Good point. But still, you are not going alone again. I'll come with you. I've quite missed Tink."

"I'm not sure whether she has missed you..."

* * *

 _ **Storybrooke**_

 _ **Present Time...**_

"Sheriff Swan, you can go now. I know exactly what was taken and who did it. I've got it from here." said Gold after Emma had inspected the house along with Ris, who was willing to help because of the deputy title she still wanted.

"No you don't. This was a robbery, a public menace. An if you don't tell me what you know, I'll have to arrest you for obstruction of justice." said Emma.

"You can actually arrest people for being secretive?" asked Ris.

"Those are the basics of the law inforcement. Not that you'd know."

"Hey, I'm still learning. I know this though, I don't think Gold would like to spend his next week behind bars." said Ris, throwing a look at Gold's direction.

"You're quite right, Clarissa. Although I'm pretty sure you already know who could have done this."

"I don't know. I think that plenty of people would like to steal from you."

"Think deeper."

"Well, my first thought would be Moe French, but he was with me a while ago and he doesn't have a truck anymore."

"You are underestimating the man. Never judge by what he appears to be."

"Who is Moe French?" asked Emma.

"He is the guy that owns the flower shop, but as I said, it couldn't have been him." Ris replied.

"Well, it is a place to start. You see, Sheriff, we had a little disagreement today, and he probably did not take it well. Who's to say that he doesn't own another vehicle?" pointed out Gold.

"But how would he get out so fast?" asked Ris.

"He knew exactly what to take, and that wasn't a lot."

"You are pointing fingers at people way too quick."

"They shouldn't have been so predictable."

"Good point." said Ris, and she turned her attention to Emma. "Shall we go and check him out?" she asked.

"Yeah. It's the only cue we have. We'll report back soon." said Emma.

"I'm sure you will, assuming I don't find him..." said Gold, letting out a humorless laugh. One that revealed his anger. "Let's just say, bad things tend to happen to bad people."

"Is that a threat?" asked Emma, in the same intimidating tone.

"Observation." he replied, faking to have taken offence. Emma still did not like where this case was going, but dealing with that man for longer than a day would be unbearable, so she might as well get it over with. "Good luck." said Gold, as Emma exited the house. Ris remained for a few more moments.

"You know, your 'good lucks' always sound more like a 'go to hell' wish. Would you care to explain that to me?" she asked, crossing her arms and glaring at the man across her.

"I apologise that you view things that way. But please, if you want the deputy title, you should follow your friend."

"That also sounded like you are kicking me out of your house."

"You are making way too many assumptions."

The more he talked, the harder the glares towards him were getting. Ris said nothing more, and she did as she was told. She was not done with him though. That man always tended to get away with everything when he clearly had a lot of skeletons in his closet. Ris would get to the bottom of this no matter what.

* * *

 **A/N: Again, short chapter, long wait. I wrote it in a hurry because it's been a month since the last update, but it's still better than just an author's note. Next one will be bigger, I promise.**

 **1.) Bae in a flashback! Yay! The Wonderland option has won, but it starts from Neverland. We'll get to Wonderland soon enough.**

 **2.) SPOILERS: OMG! NEAL WILL FREAKING COME BACK! I REPEAT! NEAL IS COMING BACK! I LOVE ADAM AND EDDIE AND I'LL LOVE THEM EVEN MORE IF THEY RESURRECT HIM! JKDHFBLSYERBVWYR! FREAKING OUT!**

 **Alright, fangirling over. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed the update, again, I'm sorry for being late. What do you think of the flashback and her relationship with Bae? Thank you for reading/favoriting/following/reviewing, and until next time!:-)**

 **P.S.: Thanks to the guest reviewer for the grammatical correction. I'll make sure to fix it.:-)**


	29. Chapter 29

**Chapter 30**

"I don't think banging at the door will do us any good." said Ris, as Emma punched Moe's front door for the fourth time. She pushed her friend to the side as she positioned herself in front of it. "Stay back." she said, and she allowed her leg do the work as she kicked the old door open.

"Alright, you get upstairs, I'll get downstairs." ordered Emma, barging inside Moe French's house after Ris.

"Yes sir." said Ris, and she climbed up the stairs two at a time. She searched every inch of the second floor, looking for something that might look like something Gold would own.

"You know, I'm pretty sure that Gold is actually lying to us about Moe." called Emma while searching in every storage and closet in Moe's living room and kitchen.

"Then what are we doing here?" asked Ris after a moment of silence, some impatience showing in her voice.

"I'm the sheriff. I can't take any chances."

"I know him way too much to be aware of his lies. Surprisingly, he isn't guilty of that this time." replied Ris without even considering it.

"You might think that you know, but _I_ have the superpower."

"Don't take this the wrong way Swan, but I think I know that man a lot better than you do, unfortunately. He has something up his sleeve, but I believe him when he says that the flower guy stole from him."

"Alright, I guess..." said Emma, still unable to believe that Ris was being the lying detector in this case. The blonde knelt on the floor to search underneath one of the couches. Apart from the dirt that Moe had obviously brought from the flower shop, she spotted something else. "And you'd be right." she said after unzipping the black backpack. Ris marched downstairs immediately to see what her friend had found.

"What is it?"

"You tell me. Do you think these things belong to Gold?" asked Emma, getting a small swan sculpture out of the backpack.

"Yes. That one used to be at the back room of the shop, I cleaned it enough times to know." said Ris, crossing her arms. That had been surprisingly easy... And Moe wasn't in the house either. Something just didn't feel quite right. Cases that had to do with Gold weren't usually that simple. But Ris didn't have time to think about that, when she noticed something familiar inside that backpack.

"Swan, can you reach for that piece of metal in the bag?" she asked, trying to get a closer look. Emma did as she was told, and she took out the object that Ris knew too well.

"Isn't that from your bike?" asked Emma. Ris quickly grabbed it from her friend's hand to examine it.

"It totally is. It's the thingy that Michael Tilman suggested that I use to fix it." she said, raising her voice to reveal her anger.

"Well, at least we know what kind of vehicle he used instead of his truck. Where in the world had you parked it that it was so easy for him to find?" asked Emma, slowly getting up on her feet. She was being awfully casual about this, and Ris didn't appreciate it.

"I don't know. But what I do know is that next time I see Moe French, he'll be begging you to take him to jail." said Ris, and she grabbed the backpack, heading back to the station to give Gold his stuff back. Then, she would track that bastard Moe.

* * *

Emma expected a little bit more appreciation from Gold when she and Ris brought him his stolen stuff. But still, the man looked more displeased than ever.

"You're welcome. You were right – your man Moe ripped you off. It was all still at his place." said Emma.

"It was as if he wanted them to be found." commented Ris.

"And the man himself?" asked Gold, still looking through the stuff on the sheriff's desk, like he was looking for something.

"Closing in on him." replied Emma, proudly.

"So, job well 'half-done', then." said Gold, his usual snark and sarcastic tone missing from his voice.

"God, sometimes there's just no pleasing you." said Ris, annoyed by his attitude towards the ones that retrieved his missing objects in less than a day.

"In less than a day, we got everything back. Is something wrong?" asked Emma, matching Ris's tone.

"You've recovered nothing." replied Gold, angrier than before. "There's still something missing." he said, and he walked to the exit of the station.

"I'll get it when I find him." called Emma from her place on the desk.

"Not if I find him first." said Gold, not bothering to turn back and face her. As soon as he was gone, Emma let out a long exhale and she leaned back on her chair with her arms crossed.

"This man is ticking me off." she said to Ris.

"Tell me about it..." said the brunette, and she pulled a chair from the other side of the desk to have a seat. "So, what are we gonna do about his case?"

"I'm tracking our guy, Moe. To make sure Gold doesn't kill him when he finds him." replied Emma.

"Or... Youcan keep and eye on Gold while _I_ will be looking for Moe instead." suggested Ris with a hopeful smile.

"Forget it. I'm not letting you _or_ Gold find that guy. Dr Whale already has enough on his hands, he doesn't need another patient. Let alone a beaten up one."

"He stole my bike!" defended Ris.

"And he's going to jail for it, you don't have to go as well."

"Jail is way too kind."

"The answer is still no." said Emma, with a serious tone to make her point. Ris made a face at her friend's stubborness, but admitted defeat. " Though, I could use the help. Do you think you could keep an eye on Gold while I will be looking for the flower guy?" said Emma. Ris immediately looked up at the statement.

"Wow. Is miss 'Ican do anything on my own' _asking_ for help?" she asked, raising her eyebrow in disbelief.

"If it can take your mind off your stolen bike, then yes. Are you in?"

"Hell yes I am. I'm getting my special James Bond sunglasses for this mission." said Ris enthusiastically. She rushed to grab her jacket and exit the station.

"Don't forget to report if Gold finds Moe!" called Emma, but Ris decided to pretend she didn't hear that...

* * *

 _ **Neverland**_

 _ **A Long Time Ago...**_

"Bae, for heaven's sake, will you be quiet?" asked Ris, when Bae stepped on a branch.

"How is it my fault that there are branches on the ground?" asked Bae, trying to defend himself, although starting another useless fight with his sister probably wasn't the wisest choice.

"Well, you are not doing a very good job avoiding them." replied Ris before she ran towards the tree house as carefully as she could, where the former fairy resided. When she reached the tree, she signaled Bae to come along. The two of them climbed up the ladder that led to the small house.

"Tink?" called Ris as soon as she stepped on the wooden floor. The fairy made herself known immediately, in a state that made Ris jump in surprise. She was holding a pocket knife in her hand, pointed right at Ris's face.

"Hey, Tink! It's us, Rissy and Bae." said Bae, pulling Ris back protectively.

"Prove it." said Tink, pointing the knife at Bae now.

"Well, I could prove it by telling the story of you and that little bird from two years ago..." started Bae, but Tink cut him off and lowered the knife.

"Okay, okay. It's you." she said, trying to take the subject off of that particular matter.

"What in the world were you doing, Tink? Who else could it be other than us?" asked Ris.

"I recently received a visit from Pan and Felix. His threats and warnings weren't what you would call pleasant." said Tink, her voice dripping venom as she talked about Pan.

"I thought you had a deal with Pan about staying in Neverland." stated Bae.

"Yes, that only applied as long as I kept out of his business. It appears that you two fall under that category."

"Wait, are you saying that Pan knows that we occasionally visit here?" asked Ris.

"He does. He tried to get me to speak of your location, but don't worry. I kept denying that I even knew your names."

"Good. We can't afford him finding us before we discover a way out of this island." said Bae.

"You mean the island of Hell with the devil himself as its ruler..." commented Ris.

"Have you thought of anything new that could get us out?" asked Tink.

"Well, the only thing that can do that is Pan's shadow. But it's basically Pan's little puppet, so it's obvious that the plan will fail."

"I suggested that maybe we could somehow get Pan to kick us out..." said Bae.

"But I doubt he'd ever do that." added Ris.

"Do you have any ideas about that, Tink?" asked Bae. Tink took a few moments before she replied, trying to think of a good answer for the two siblings.

"The only people that get to leave Neverland are grown up adults who have lost their faith in magic. They are the only ones that Pan can't manipulate. Hence why he doesn't want them here." explained Tink.

"You know, that could be a good idea. But here is the issue. Nobody grows old in Neverland!" exclaimed Ris, before she dropped herself on the hammock that Tink had been using as a bed.

"Come to think of it..." whispered Tink, gaining Bae's attention again.

"What is it?" he asked, curiously.

"Wait here for a minuite..." said Tink, and she moved to the corner of her treehouse, where she had a small collection of books. Bae saw her searching each page of every book until she found what she was looking for. "There!" she exclaimed, excitedely. She sat on the hammock next to Ris, followed by Bae, who was dying to know what Tink had discovered.

"Traveling through magical realms is easier than getting to a land without magic. You know how there are many other magical worlds out there, many realms with different magic." started Tink.

"We came from one, I think we know." said Bae.

"I remember hearing about that one land by other fairies. I never got to visit it myself, but I know it was called... Wonderland." said Tink, pointing at a picture on her book with her index finger. The realm she was talking about was bright and full of colour. Unlike Neverland, which was only filled with darkness, which wasn't only caused by the never ending night time.

"What's so special about this realm?" asked Ris.

"These." said Tink, pointing at another picture.

"They look like mushrooms to me."

"In Wonderland, they are much more than that." said Tink, with excitement.

"What do they do?" asked Bae.

"Some have the power to instantly make you taller. Others can make you smaller. And then there are some other special ones, that can instantly make you older or younger."

Ris and Bae shared a pointed look. Ris appeared happy to hear that, but Bae had some doubts. Sure, it sounded like a good way to get Pan to Kick them out, but he didn't trust magic, it was what had brought him and Ris there in the first place. And how would they even get to Wonderland? They've been struggling to find a way out of Neverland for years upon years. And still, there they were. Ris noticed his indifferent expression, so she had to ask Tink.

"How much can someone age if they use one of these mushrooms?"

"A lot. But this is Neverland. The magic that prevents people from aging is gonna make the process slower, normal even."

"And what happens if we leave Neverland and go to the land without magic?"

"The magic will stop. So you won't age a day."

"Are those actual facts, or just speculation?" asked Bae, still suspicious of all this.

"All true." said someone. But it wasn't Tink. The fairy, Ris and Bae turned their heads to see Pan in all his glory, standing right above the ladder to the treehouse. "Tink I'm disapponted. You are a really bad liar."

* * *

 _ **Storybrooke**_

 _ **Present Time...**_

"Sunglasses in the middle of February? And I thought I'd seen everything today..." said David when he spotted Ris at Mr Clark's shop. She turned at him, surprised to see him there.

"Dave. Long time no see. Normally I would come up with a nice comeback, but it's just too easy. Considering the double life that you are living." she said with a michievous smile. David rolled his eyes, not really that surprised that she knew. "Seriously though, two Valentine's day cards? Could you be any more obvious?" she kept going.

"That's enough about me. What are the sunglasses for?" asked David. Ris smirked, and she leaned closer to his ear.

"I'm on a secret mission." she whispered.

"Let me guess. It wouldn't be a secret if you told me." guessed David.

"You should know better by now. Anyway, Mr Clark hasn't placed a price tag on any of these. Would you happen to know how much they could cost?"

"Let's just go and ask him." replied David, and he headed to the desk, with Ris following behind him. She wasn't surprised to see Gold waiting there, after all her mission was to keep an eye on him. She and David stood behind him, waiting for their turn.

"Two valentines. Sounds like a complicated life." said Gold, startling David.

"Nothing our player here cannot handle." said Ris, slapping David's shoulder a little bit too hard. She only said it as a joke, but all three of them knew that it was true.

"Oh, no. I… I just couldn't decide." said David, akwardly in order to fix the damage Ris had done.

"These are both for the same woman?" asked Gold, disbelievingly.

"Well, they're both so…us." said David.

"I see. Well, you're fortunate you have someone that loves you."

"I really am." said David, really wanting out of this converstation. It was Gold's turn at the cashier, so he placed his stuff on the counter. He was buying a few quite interesting things. On the counter, there was a roll of duct tape, along with a roll of rope. Ris eyed them suspiciously, hoping that Gold was too into the converstation with David to notice.

"Love – it's like a delicate flame. And once it's gone, it's gone forever. Best of luck to you." wished Gold, and he headed out of the shop. Ris's eyes followed the man outside, until she lost sight of him.

"Miss Silver, it's your turn." said Mr Clark, adding a sneeze or two in between.

"Forget about the glasses. Keep them for another time if you can." said Ris, and she ran through the door, hoping to catch sight of Gold again.

She eventually heard the familiar sound of his cane tapping on the stone of the pavement, and she walked to the source of the sound as quietly as she could. Gold kept walking until he reached Granny's. Outside the dinner, he had parked... Moe's van. And that was the moment her phone chose to ring. Thankfully, Ris ducked behind Ruby's car. She was glad that Ruby was having a girl's night out with Mary Margaret and Ashley and she left her car there. Gold did turn around to see if anyone was there, but he was met with silence. He didn't give much thought to the incident, and he wasted no more time to get on the van and drive away. Ris sighed in relief and checked her phone to see who had texted her. It was Emma.

 _"Anything on our case?"_ read the text. Ris took a moment to consider it. She looked behind again, to see that the van hadn't moved that much further. If only Moe hadn't used her bike to steal Gold's stuff, she could follow him and uncover the case on her own. Wait a minuite... There was another vehicle in Storybrooke. A bike even. That could easily be stole... Borrowed.

She looked around Granny's, to confirm that the stanger's bike was still there. And it was. The guy wouldn't miss it for one night. She barely ever saw him anyway. His bike was practically inviting her to stea... Borrow it. She wasn't one to turn down a favor. She got off from the pavement and headed towards the bike while texting back to Emma.

 _"Nothing. Our guy is just heading home."_

* * *

 **A/N: Damn Ris... Robbing a bike to uncover robbery... Smooth.**

 **You could all write an entire essay about how terrible I am. Originally, I would've done the whole episode in this chap. But I have like zero free time anymore and I'd have to wait for about two more weeks to write again... Anyway, here it is, hope ypu liked even though it's small... Again. They'll be getting bigger after my finals. I can't wait for them. Just one and a half month...**

 **On the bright side, OUAT is on tonight!:-)**

 **Anyways, thank you for reading/favoriting/following/reviewing, and UNTIL NEXT TIME!:-D**


	30. Chapter 30

**Chapter 31**

Gold hurried out of the van's driver seat as soon as he arrived at the cabin in the woods. He reached inside his coat for his gun before he opened the back doors of the vehicle. Moe French stared at him with fear, not daring to make a move. Gold did not feel the slightest bit of guilt for kidnapping him. The man had it coming since before he stole from him.

"Walk." he ordered him, pointing the gun at the man's head. Moe could do nothing else other than obey. For the sake of his life.

Gold led him inside the cabin, not hesitating to push him with his gun to move faster. He had waited long enough for this moment.

Ever since he regained his memories, there were two people in the town that he cared to finish his unfinished business with. The second one was that damned blue fairy, who was responsible for him loosing both his children in a matter of two years. The one that had led him to believe that his daughter was dead all this time, when in reality she... But Moe was right there. He too had taken something precious from him. Not just the cup. He had taken away the meaning of the cup, all those years ago. The only person he had managed to care about after the loss of his daughter. And he was going to pay for it.

"You see, here is the thing." he said to Moe when they got inside the cabin. Moe kept looking at Gold with the same fear he always had in his eyes when meeting with him. "I don't normally let people get away." he said, and he closed the wooden door behind him. He forced Moe to sit down as he pulled the duct tape he had placed on his mouth, rather forcefully. He tied his hands behind a chair with the rope he had bought from Mr Clark's shop, making sure the knot was so tight, that it would cut the circulation of the blood beneath his skin. He placed his gun on a nearby table, and pulled a chair in front of his hostage.

"Let me explain, okay?" pleaded the man, in a desperate tone that Gold would call pathetic. "Please, let me explain..." Moe kept begging.

"Oh well, that is fascinating. Truly fascinating." replied Gold, as if he was interested in hearing any petty excuses. He casually placed the end of his cane on Moe's neck, preventing him from breathing and choking him as painfully as he could, but not enough to kill him. "I'm going to let you breathe in a second, and you're going to say two sentences. The first, is going to tell me where it is. The second, is going to tell me who told you to take it. Do you understand the rules?" he asked. Moe made another choking sound that Gold took as a yes. "Good. Let's begin." he said, pulling the cane away from his neck.

* * *

"I hate Gold." muttered Ris under her breath as she sped through the woods while it was raining. Gold just had to enter the damn woods. He had a huge van on his side, whilist she couldn't ride the stranger's motorcycle in there without having a bad accident, and she had to ran after the van for as long as she could and then try and find Gold's location on her own. "Screw that man." she added when she stepped into a muddy puddle. Her phone was buzzing in her pocket like crazy. It was probably Emma being worried after the last text message she had sent her. If she could only wait a little longer she could catch Gold red handed at whatever he was doing and get him straight to jail, where he belonged.

She literally felt like she was running for ages. She even thought of turning back and going straight at Mary Margaret's appartment. She didn't think she could bear running while in her water soaked clothes any more. But she didn't stop. Something was just urging her to catch Gold and uncover whatever he was doing, she _needed_ to best him for once. To beat him at something. It was ironic how she mocked Emma for wanting to beat Regina with such determination, and now there she was, doing the same with that man.

Her running skills didn't disappoint her for far too long. She eventually spotted the van. Gold had abandoned it outside a small wooden cabin. There was no light coming from the wondows, but when Ris walked faster towards the cabin, a lightning struck, and she was able to make out Gold's shadow. And goodness, did he look cazy. The man appeared to me completely out of control. He looked like he was beating up someone with his cane. Moe. It had to be Moe. She and Emma should have known better than to think that Gold wouldn't find the flower guy before them. She had to stop this immediately...

* * *

Inside of the cabin, Gold had grown even angrier than he had been before. He was hitting the poor man mercilessly, not bothering to hear his story. He didn't even care that Moe had no memories of his past life. As he was interrogating him, everything came rushing into his mind, his son, his daughter, Belle... And it was because of Moe that he had lost the last one to death!

"She's gone. She's gone forever. She's not coming back. And it's your fault! Not mine! You are her father! Yours! It's yours!" he yelled, with such rage that only fools wouldn't fear him at that moment. The man he was hitting was still crying for mercy, but Gold wouldn't grant it. He had no intention of killing him in the beginning, but it appear that he had to reconsider...

"Gold!" yelled a voice. No, not now... It was Clarissa's voice. His arm immediately stopped mid air. He cursed at himself for letting that girl affect his actions. He was about to start again, but Clarissa grabbed the cane with both hands, showing some quite unexpected strengh, and she forced him to stop once and for all. "If you don't stop right now, I swear I'll make another use of that cane which you won't like." she said. For the first time ever since he had met her, she sounded really threatening. No humor in her voice, even though her threat had suggested some. Gold stopped gripping his cane, and it made it easier for Clarissa to throw at the other side of the room.

"I don't recall you being that much in time when you were working at my shop. What happened now, Miss Silver?" asked Gold, trying to sound calm and casual, but his rage was taking the best of him. He refused to let her have the last word.

"Shut up and do not make a move." she replied, and she tried to help Moe sit straight on his chair while searching through her contacts on her phone. The flower shop owner had almost fallen unconcious, and Clarissa was trying to keep him awake until an ambulance arrived.

"Do not hope to keep him awake, dearie." said Gold.

"Of course he won't stay concious, you beat the living crap out of him!" replied Clarissa, while placing her phone on her ear. "Hey, Emma. Do you remember a few minuites ago when I texted you that everything was fine? Well... Let's just say that we got ourselves someone that can fill the place behind the bars at the station."

* * *

 _ **Neverland**_

 _ **A Long Time Ago...**_

 _"You are a terrible liar."_

No one made a sound and everything remained silent inside the treehouse after Pan's sudden appearence. His usual michievous smirk was gracing his face and he looked more than happy to catch the three of them red handed. He took a step closer to the hammock, which made Tink, Bae and Ris stand up and take a defensive position. Tink pushed the kids behind her protectively, an act that made Pan let out a chuckle.

"Tink, I thought you knew better than going up against me. I asked you to keep out of my business." he finally said.

"No you didn't, you actually ordered me to, and our deal also required you leaving me alone. And yet here you are, marching in my treehouse with no permission."

"It was you that broke the deal first. You should already know that I do not let betrayal just slide." said Pan, without losing his calm attitude.

"To hell with your deals." said Clarissa, pushing past Tink and standing in front of Pan instead.

"Rissy, language. I'm pretty sure your father didn't raise you this way." commented Pan, amused by her spunk.

"Well, he didn't raise me at all, considering I've spent a lot more time in this island of hell with you than I ever did with him. But, to the point. I've had enough of this. How many hundreds of years must pass for you to let us leave? We are of no use to you, we never were. So why keep us here?" she asked.

"She's right. Felix made sure to let me know of my useleslness to your mysterious plans the day I arrived here. Aren't we a bit of a burden? You could just let us go and the search parties of the Lost boys every night can be put to an end." said Bae, coming up from behind Tink and standing up to Pan like Clarissa.

"Trust me, Baelfire, if I wanted you gone, you'd be gone already."

"Then tell us what you want from us. Or else our fight to get out of here will never stop. Not until we make it out." said Bae, raising his voice. Pan kept looking from one sibling to the other, with a curious look. The look eventually turned into an amused one, as his lips formed a smirk.

"You think this is funny?" asked Ris, and she raised her hand, preparing to hit Pan. Tink held her hand back, preventing her from challenging the king of Neverland even more.

"You know, I've been waiting for a long, long time. To see you finally step out of your little cave and challenge me." he interrupted his speech to let out a humorous laugh, and make his pause even more dramatic. "But I wasn't expecting that outburst from you, Bealfire."

"Quit playing with them, Pan. Can't you see that they are tired of your little hide and seek game?" defended Tink.

"Oh, Tink. It is adorable that these two managed to get a place in your heart full of bitterness. Especially after what happened in the Enchanted Forest with the other fairies." said Pan, making Tink glare at him harder. He had hit a nerve. "But I'm not here to talk about _your_ past. But about _their_ future."

"Here we go. Hopefully to a future that doesn't involve you." commented Clarissa. Pan's smirk grew wider.

"Now we're talking." he said, and he proceeded by taking Tink's book from her hand and opening it at the page that talked about Wonderland.

"See, your fairy friend here really knew what she was talking about. These mushrooms are very powerful indeed. One bite and you'll start aging in Neverland as if it were the real world."

"So you are confirming this while you don't want anyone to leave your island. That makes sense." commented Clarissa.

"Why I am. Believe it or not, Rissy, I don't particularly enjoy your misery. So, if you want to leave here so badly, you and your brother are going to have to make a deal with me."

"No. We shall make no deals with you." said Bae.

"Shut it Baelfire." interrupted Clarissa. "What's the deal?" she asked Pan.

"You'll have to let me teach you magic."

"I don't have magic."

"Oh, but you will. Trust me."

"What do you get out of this? Why would you want to teach me magic?"

"All these questions..." said Pan, rolling his eyes. "I'm offering to help you get off the island and you are still not trusting me."

"You are asking us to trust the devil. What did you expect?" said Bae.

"Well then, I don't really need your agreement. Besides, the game would be no fun if I knew exactly what to expect from you. Anyways, have a good trip." said Pan with a fake kind smile before his shadow appeared by his side.

"Pan, no!" yelled Tink, but Pan didn't even hesitate a little before commanding his shadow to grab Bae and Clarissa and disappear from the treehouse in a heartbeat.

* * *

 _ **Storybrooke**_

 _ **Present Time...**_

"So, I heard you managed not to break anything he needs. You are lucky, Mr Gold." said Emma to Gold as Moe French was getting loaded into an ambulance.

"He really shouldn't be. Had I arrived a little bit later, flower guy would be barely alive by now." said Ris.

"But you got here just in time. Although, since when is beating a person until they reach their breaking point called justice?" asked Emma, suspiciously looking at Gold.

"He stole from me. He should've known better." said Gold, absent mindedly. He hadn't paid any attention to Ris or Emma the entire time. He looked way too furious to do so. It appeared that Ris's interruption had frustrated him more than he was them letting in. It was very unlike him to show any short of emotion when it didn't benefit him. Even if the emotion was anger.

"Come on now, Gold. You never really cared about all the shit he stole from you. You were saying something about a woman, and about how it was Moe's fault that she was gone. Who was she? Wife? Girlfriend? Hooker? I'll only be silently judging you." said Ris, trying to annoy the man even more.

"It is really none of your business, Miss Silver. And even if it was, I believe that you heard wrong." said Gold, annoyed by the nosiness.

"It is our business if we can help. Is that woman in danger, can we do something about it?" asked Emma.

"No, I'm sorry sheriff, but you've got it all wrong." said Gold, getting tired of the interrogation.

"You really don't want to cooperate?" asked Emma.

"Look, we are done here." said Gold, and he began to take off. Emma gave Ris a nod which Ris returned with a smirk before she grabbed Gold's wrists and handcuffed him.

"We're no done at all. You are under arrest." said Emma.

"I've been waiting to do that for more than I care to admit." said Ris.

"Who knows? Maybe some time behind the bars is gonna get you more into a helping mood." said Emma.

* * *

Gold was beyond furious. Things definetely hadn't gone as he had planned. Clarissa was never supposed to catch him red handed. Yesterday was supposed to be the night when he finally avenged Belle. The poor girl that had the misfortune of loving him and being loved by him, who had died so long ago because of Moe French. That bastard was recovering at the hospital while he was behind bars, unable to do anything about it. The worst part of it all was that he could've avoided being behind the cell bars, the girl was only one person. But he somehow couldn't bring himself to do her any harm. That weird relationship they had going on was not benefiting him...

"I'm back, and I'm back with food." said the very girl that he was thinking of.

"Great, I'm starving." said Emma, accepting whatever Clarissa had gotten from Granny's. She took a bite of it, enjoying it way too much. Gold knew that she was trying to bother him. "What exactly is this, it's delicious." asked Emma.

"According to our dear Ruby, it is pastrami." replied Clarissa and she took a bite out of her own pastrami while sittling on the desk.

"Heard that, Gold? Pastrami. You want half? You know, I still owe you that favour. Nice, fatty pastrami. Delicious way to clear the books."

"Well, I don't need a reminder that you owe me a favour. And when the day comes that I make my request, it'll be for more than half a sandwich." said Gold, disappointing the sheriff.

"Anyway, Ris?" called Emma.

"What is it?" said Clarissa, with her mouth still full of pastrami.

"You know, the fact that you didn't tell me what was off when I texted you was not okay."

"Here we go. Lecture time." commented Clarissa, rolling her eyes. "So predictable, Swan."

"But if you had told me we could've lost a lot of time. You arrived to stop Gold at the right time." said Emma. Gold couldn't help but roll his eyes. He knew that was coming. In fact, he knew this was coming ever since Emma had won the election.

"You are welcome." said Clarissa with a smug smile. Emma exhaled, and she dropped the pastrali in front of her.

"I really can't believe I'm saying this... Are you still interested in the deputy title?" asked Emma. Clarissa almost choked on her pastrali. She clearly did not expect that.

"Is that an offer?" she asked, not bothering to hide her excitement.

"Calm down, don't get your hopes up. You'll be on trial for the rest of the week. And then we'll see." said Emma, trying to get her friend off the high horse. "If you are still interested, of course." she added, casually.

"Are you kidding? I've been bugging you about this for days now. The test is on, my blondie friend." said Clarissa. Gold couldn't keep silent anymore.

"Congratulations, Miss Silver. It appears that you got yourself a job. You are welcome." he said. Clarissa turned to him with a raised eyebrow.

"You are expecting me to thank you for beating up a poor flower shop owner?"

"If it weren't for that, we wouldn't be having this converstation."

"What do you want? Another favor?"

"You already owe me one as well. I'm not that cruel."

"Debatable..."

"No more talking with the prisoner." said Emma, and Ris raised her hands in surrender before she went back to her pastrami.

Several moments later, someone decided to pay them a visit. It was Regina, along with Henry.

"Sheriff Swan? Miss Silver?" called the mayor.

"Which will soon be deputy Silver..." said Clarissa, not missing the chance to get on the mayor's nerves. But Regina had more important things to think about.

"I'm letting you two have thirty minutes with Henry. Take him out – buy him ice cream." she said.

"You want me to leave you alone with a prisoner?" asked Emma.

"Twenty nine and a half minuites." said Regina. It was obvious what Regina would want to talk to him about. It was about the curse. She probably wanted to finally find out whether he remembered or not.

Clarissa rolled her eyes before she grabbed her jacket.

"It was good to see you, madame mayor, Henry. But unfortunately I can't tag along. There's something I need to do." said Clarissa. Sheriff Swan didn't question her, as she was too busy being happy about spending time with her son. However, she did glance back at Gold, still hesitant to leave him alone with Regina.

"Bring me back a cone?" said Gold.

"Just this once. Come on kid, let's go." said Emma.

"Play nice, you two." said Clarissa and she followed behind Emma and Henry, while Gold got ready for his interrogation...

* * *

Inspiration had kicked in. August stepped outside Granny's for the first time in two days. Major 'writter's block'. But he had just came up with a fresh new plan that morning. He expected everything to run smoothly. What he didn't expect, was a certain someone toying with the brakes of his bike.

"What are you doing?" he asked, approaching _Ris_ with crossed arms. The girl jumped up, and it was quite obvious that she was cursing about her bad luck inside her head.

"What am I doing?" she asked, deciding to play dumb.

"You were messing with my bike." he accused, although his voice did not reveal any sort of anger. Ris' expression formed fake realization.

"Oh, that was _your_ bike? I must have mistaken it for mine. Silly me! Anyway, sorry for the misunderstanding, I'll see you later!" she said very fastly. She obviously did not expect him to believe that, but she was hoping that her talk would distract him enough to let it slide. And she may or may not have succeeded. But August didn't want to let her get away with it just yet.

"Because our bikes look so much alike." he mocked.

"Oh, they are both black! Where's the difference?" she said.

"What were you really doing with it?" he asked. Ris dropped the act at that moment, and she stepped closer to him. August raised his eyebrow at her sudden change of attitude.

"You've caught me." she confessed. She was still messing around. August was somehow really eager to play along.

"What were you doing?" he asked her. She leaned in a little closer.

"Stuff." she whispered, and she pulled away just as quickly with a smirk on her face. August rolled his eyes.

"I see how it is." he said. Ris winked at his direction as she began to walk away again. "Very mature."

"I could almost say the same about you, since I've known you for some time and you still refuse to tell me your name. Have fun being mysterious."

August could've just left it there. His mission was to talk to Emma after all. But he refused to allow Ris have the last word.

"August." he called. She turned around, surprised to hear him trying to continue the converstation.

"No, I prefer June." she said.

"My name. It's August. August Booth." he said. Ris didn't say a thing for a while, still surprised that she managed to get his name.

"So... I supposed you wouldn't want me to make a joke about you and the temperature." she said after a while. August had to fight hard against his laughter.

"I would appreciate that. Clarissa." he replied.

"How do you even know my name, I'm pretty sure I never told you."

August ignored her question and he approached his bike. He put his helmet on and turned the keys to start the vehicle.

"I just tend to know stuff." he replied, and with no further adue, he took off. leaving Ris behind him, annoyed as hell.

"Back to the mysterious stranger trope..." she commented to herself.

* * *

 **A/N: IT IS DONE.**

 **Again, apologies for the late update. At least it wasn't that small this time. Here it goes:  
**

 **1.) What were your thoughts on the chap? Let me know!**

 **2.) There probably won't be an update until the end of June... I'm really sorry, but my finals start in three weeks and I really need to study.:-( I'll probably be doing some editing though. Maybe I'll combine the smaller chapters with the bigger ones and fix some spelling mistakes caused by my absent mided self.:-)**

 **3.) I literally can't wait for the story to reach the second season. After my finals are done, I'll spend my summer writting.**

 **SPOILERS!**

 **4.) I'm really liking this season. The only thing I dislike is the Zelena/Hades romance. I think that my greek self simply refuses to accept Hades in a relationship with anyone other than Persephone. Also: I LOVE PAN! He'll probably end up going to hell or something like that, but that doesn't stop me from hoping that he'll stick around. And I'm still in denial about Neal's one appearence being his only appearence. Nope. Still not okay with that.**

 **Anyways, thank you for realing/favoriting/following/reviewing, I'm glad that you are still sticking around even if I completely suck at updating! Until next time!:-D**


	31. Chapter 31

**A/N: Here's the complete chapter.:-D**

* * *

 **Chapter 31**

Mary Margaret couldn't help but have a dreamy smile on her face as she walked inside her appartment. David had finally decided. He had finally made his choice. His choice was _her_. Her... She still couldn't believe it. She actually had a chance at love. Or anything that she and David had. She didn't know how to call it. Oh, to hell with it. Her heart skipped beats every time she heard his voice and it felt like it would fly out of her chest whenever she saw him. She cared about him in a way that she hadn't cared about anyone before. If that wasn't love, she didn't know what was.

"Hey, M&M. Do you happen to have an extra charger? Bacause I sort of, kinda lost mine and..." said Ris, who was occupying the entire couch with all her glory. Normally, the random stuff that Ris always said would've snapped her out of her fantasy. But not this time. Mary Margaret kept smiling, completely shutting out Ris's voice as she took off her jacket and threw her purse on the couch, barely missing Ris when she ducked her head.

"Well, someone's in a good mood tonight..." muttered Ris, picking up the purse from the floor. Mary Margaret still gave her no mind. She just jumped on her bed and burried her face in her pillow.

"Someone got laid tonight." said Ris raising her voice, making sure she heard her. Mary Margaret's guess was that she was trying to get a reaction out of her, and maybe an update on her relationship status. She couldn't really give her the latter, as she herself had no idea where she and David stood at, at the moment. If she had to put it into words, she would probably say... 'It's complicated and heading towards more complications... But still beautiful.'.

Her bed shifted due to Ris's weight on it. She really wasn't going anywhere before she received the information she was seeking.

"Mary Margaret, will you tell me what happened, or will I have to force it out of you?" asked Ris. Oh no. She didn't use the nickname. She was serious. Mary Margeret got her head out of her pillow without bothering to sit up.

"David's telling Kathryn." she said, unable to hold her excitement.

"He's telling her everything?" asked Ris, appearing to be a little worried.

"Yes, about me, about everything. There will be no more hiding." Mary Margaret replied, finally sitting up. "Everything is coming up, that's all I wanted ever since this whole mess started." she added. Ris's expression did not change. It turned into an even more doubtful one.

"Are you ready for the storm that's about to come?" she asked. Mary Margaret was taken aback by the serious tone.

"You don't think David and I should come clean? I'm tired of the lies and secrets..."

"No, that's not what I meant. In my opinion, you should've told her about your relationship ages ago. You shouldn't expect her to take this entire thing lightly after waiting for so long."

"I wasn't expecting that... But I don't understand. You never advised me or David to tell Kathryn about us. Why are you so worried about it now?" asked Mary Margaret, her previous excitement fading.

"You are right, that does sound hypocritical. But I didn't know that you guys were _that_ serious. You've been sneaking around like teenagers that just discovered hormones, and you know how most of these relationships end." replied Ris. There was a pause before Mary Margaret broke the silence.

"How?" she asked. She somehow couldn't quite recall her teenage years.

"If not with the girl pregnant and the guy on strip clubs... Then they usually end with the excitement fading away. There will either be a nasty breakup or both parts will start drifting away without even realizing it. Honestly, I was putting my money on the latter in the case of you and Dave. But apparently I was wrong."

"So... Now that I've told you of our intentions, do you have any other suggestions?" asked Mary Margaret. Ris gave her a sympathetic look, and brought her hand on her shoulder.

"It's too late for one of these. The best advice I could give you right now would be... Brace yourself." she said. She didn't say another word before she left Mary Margaret's room, leaving the teacher deep in her thoughts. At one point, she was grateful that her expectations were brought down. She was being way too excited about the whole thing. That didn't mean that she was glad about them being crushed completely. All she could do was wait for tomorrow. And brace herself for the storm.

* * *

"Are you sure you want to tell Emma?" asked Ris, while adding sugar in the coffee that Ruby made for her. "I mean, a secret that is known by more that two people isn't really a secret." she added.

"More than two people already know it. It's too late to talk about secrecy." said Mary Margaret.

"David doesn't count. He _is_ the secret."

"Still. I just... I believe Emma should know about this."

"You are not hoping that she will give you an advice that will get you off the hook, right?"

"No, no. Nothing like that. I just need to tell her about it, that's all."

"Are you afraid that your daughter will be disappointed in you?" asked Ris, laughing to herself.

"What are you..." started Mary Margaret, but realization crossed her face. "Right, Henry's theories." she said, smiling a bit.

"There's Emma." said Ris, watching Emma talking to August through the dinner's glass door. August appeared to be pressing her for something. A date, probably. Ris and Mary Margaret had encountered him when they got to Granny's in the morning, and before Ris could throw snark all over him, he had asked for Emma's whereabouts. Ris had to keep herself from chuckling as she answered his question. This was the second crush in three months. She had to admit, that was quite impressive.

"Hey." said Emma, getting a chair for herself from another table.

"Hey yourself, Swan." greeted Ris.

"Who was _that_?" asked Mary Margaret about August.

"August W. Booth, in which the W stands for Wayne." replied Ris, proudly.

"How do you even know what the W stands for?" asked Emma.

"I do my research." replied Ris, mysteriously.

"Note to self. Clarissa Silver is being secretive towards her boss only after two days of being given the deputy job." noted Emma, causing Ris to roll her eyes.

"Please, do not refer to yourself as my boss. I'm not deputy yet. You haven't even given me the badge."

"We're not here to talk about that. Anyways, I don't even know who that guy is yet, so you can begin talking." said Emma, her attention on Mary Margaret.

"Yet? So, you're going to find out?" said Mary Margaret, returning to their previous converstation.

"It's nothing." said Emma.

"Nothing with you means something. Because if it were nothing, we wouldn't be talking about it." said Mary Margaret.

"Stop chickening out. You were the one that wanted to tell her about you-know-what." said Ris.

"Tell me about what?" asked Emma. Mary Margaret leaned closer to Emma, ready to finally tell her the secret.

"Remember when you told me to stay away from David and I agreed?" she whispered.

"Yes." whispered Emma.

"I didn't." said Mary Margaret, with a guilty tone.

"Yeah, I know." said Emma.

"What? How in the world could you know?" asked Ris, without hiding her surprise.

"When you become a proper deputy, you'll realize that it wouldn't be too hard to connect the dots."

"What dots?" asked Mary Margaret, panicked.

"Two teacups in the sink, new perfume, late nights, plunging necklines..." she started, and turned to Ris. "The secretive smiles and winks you've been giving her whenever David was mentioned. It was as if you weren't trying to hide it at all." she said.

"Damn... I thought I was special for knowing before you." said Ris, earning an eye roll out of Emma.

"Plunging?" asked Mary Margaret, as if that was the only thing she heard.

"When I met you, you were a top button kind of girl." said Emma.

"I take full responsibillity for the plunging neckline thing." said Ris, trying to fake a guilty tone and raising her hand.

"I figured that out as well."

"Why didn't you say anything?" asked Mary Margaret.

"I'm not your mother." replied Emma.

"No. Well, according to Henry I'm yours."

"I just figured that you would let me know when it was time. I'm assuming it's time." said Emma with an understanding tone.

"He's telling Kathryn." said Mary Margaret, after hesitating of ra while to break the news to Emma.

"Everything?" asked Emma.

"Everything with cherry on top." replied Ris. Emma's glance moved from Ris to Mary Margaret as she she tried to process what they had just said, with worry written all over her features.

"Well then, I hope you are ready for the storm that's about to come." said Emma.

* * *

His mom's office was the last place Henry wanted to be at. He'd had the dullest week of his life, only being able to see Emma for a few hours. And he didn't even get to see Ris at all, appart from the time at the sheriff's station, when she said she had something to take care of. He didn't even get to congratulate her for the deputy job that Emma gave her. He was sure his mom was happy about this, that was why she was smiling the whole time since she picked him up after school was over for the day. That was why she was smiling at the moment as she handed him a wrapped box that looked like a present.

"Oh, go on. Open it." she said, encouragingly.

"What's the occasion?" asked Henry, uninterested.

"The occasion is I love you." she replied. Henry supposed that he couldn't argue with that, though he did doubt her words. "Go on." repeated him mom. Henry gave in and opened the box. Inside, there was a video game. He was surprised to say the least. His mom never encouraged him to spend time with electronics, not even TV. That was why he had grown so attached to his book. Not that it mattered, since it was now gone thanks to her.

"Now, I know you miss your book, but with this, you can do the heroics. You can save the princesses, you can be the hero." she said. She didn't understand. She didn't understand at all. No gifts could ever replace what he had lost. Regina probably realized that, as her facial expression slowly changed. "Henry, you have to believe me. When I tore down the playground, I did it for your safety. Please, don't be upset with me. I really didn't mean to destroy your book." she said, apologetically.

"It's not just the book." said Henry.

"Okay, then what is it?" asked Regina.

"It's Emma. And Ris too. I want to see them."

"Henry..." started Regina.

"Please, mom. I haven't spent time with them in ages. Can't I at least congratulate Ris for the new job she got?" pleaded Henry. Regina's eyes softened, and he could tell that if he pleaded a little more, she would allow him to visit them at least once a week. But all of his plans were interrupted by a very distressed Kathryn Nolan.

"Regina, have you got a min..." she started, but then she noticed Henry. "I'm sorry." she said.

"Oh, don't worry about it. Henry, why don't you get home and start your homework? I'll be there in a bit and we can have dinner." said Regina. Henry left without a word, upset about the interruption. But Kathryn Nolan looked like she really needed someone to talk to, which made Henry curious about what had happened...

* * *

Mary Margaret reached inside her pocket immediately when her cell phone rang. She just hoped that it really _would_ be David this time. It was. She pressed the reply button as fast as she could.

"Hey. Did, uh… Did you do it?" she asked, trying to calm herself.

"Yeah. It's bad." replied David from the other line. Mary Margaret let out a relieved sigh. They were finally free.

"I'm sorry." she said, trying to make her voice sound considerate and not give away her relief.

"No, it was... It was really bad." said David. Mary Margaret grew concerned about him, he sounded really distressed.

"But you told the truth. So, now, we can pick up the pieces. We can start over from a real place." she said, trying to brighten up his mood.

"Hey, I want to see you. Can I come by when you get done at school?" asked David. Mary Margaret smiled at his answer, and was about to reply when the double door at the end of the hallway snapped open. Ris was running towards her direction, bumping into at least three complaining teenagers on her way.

"Uh, David. I'll call you back." said Mary Margaret, sensing an emergency.

"Like hell you'll call him back." muttered Ris when she reached her, and she snapped the phone from her hand, taking over the call with David.

"Ris!" scolded Mary Margaret, as silently as possible in order not to make a scene.

"Listen here ,you screwup little shit." said Ris on the phone. "You'd better contact your wife and tell her to chill the hell out before she goes Berserk mode on Mary Margaret inside school and in front of gossip thirsty teenagers." she said, trying to keep her voice down as well.

"Ris, what's going on?" asked Mary Margaret, panicked.

"No David, I won't calm down. You had one job, and that was to tell the whole truth without turning your life into a soap opera. And you couldn't even do that, according to the pissed off Kathryn I ran into. You should be glad that I reached M&M before she did."

The doors at the end of the hallway reopened. Kathryn Nolan barged inside. Mary Margaret panicked even more. Kathryn did indeed look pissed as she bumped into the teenagers without apologising, same way Ris had only a few seconds ago.

"Too late." said Ris, hanging up the phone. Kathryn quickly reached the two of them and Mary Margaret tried to think of what to say that could ease the tension.

"Kathryn... I'm so... I'm so sorry." she said. The reply she received from the angry woman was a hard slap on the face.

"Screw you, you're sorry." she yelled.

"Hey, hey! Knock it off." yelled back Ris, taking a hold of Kathryn's hand as she tried to land another slap. "I let you land the first one, but don't push it." she said. Kathryn stopped fighting her grip, deciding not to use any more violence. Ris let go of her arm, and spared a glance at the students watching the entire scene. "You little brats mind you own business. School's over, why don't you go ahead and do your homework!" yelled Ris. She turned back to Kathryn.

"Kathryn, I realize that you are upset..."

"Upset? That doesn't even begin to describe how I feel right now." said Kathryn, lowering down her voice. She looked at Mary Margaret, who was trying her best to disappear behind Ris. "And you? Aren't you gonna say anything?"

"She'll speak once we are somewhere private." said Ris, calmly.

"Ris, maybe you shouldn't get involved..." said Mary Margaret.

"Mind your own business, Clarissa. This is _my_ marriege!" said Kathryn, raising her voice once again.

"You'll listen because I'm the sheriff's deputy. And I predict that this catfight will be he bigger case I'll ever get. Now be quiet and come along. Mary Margaret, take us to an empty class." said Ris. Mary Margaret nodded, leading the was to the class she had just exited. She wanted to get away from the staring students as fast as possible. This was way too embarassing... They got inside the class and Ris shut the door behind. Kathryn opened her mouth to speak.

"Let _her_ talk first." ordered Ris, pointing at Mary Margaret. Mary Margaret really didn't want to speak first. All she could think of doing was beg for forgiveness. And she didn't think she could do that without shedding any tears... She should've known that it would end like this.

"Um... I understand why you are angry, you have every right to be..." started Mary Margaret.

"Thank you for that insight." interrupted Kathryn.

"I said let her speak." said Ris, keeping calm.

"You don't have the right to tell me what to do! How many times have I ran into you along with David at Granny's and you've greeted me with a straight face? When you knew what was going on behind my back, and yet you lied, just like everyone else."

"It was not my place to interfere. It wasn't hers either. It was your husband's job to come clean, and that's what he did."

"Oh did he?" said Kathryn, sarcastically.

"Kathryn, I understand that we should've told you sooner..." started Mary Margaret, standing up for herself. "But she's right, we've been completely honest, we didn't lie."

"You didn't lie? You snuck around. You had him break up my marriage with a pack of lies. With some crap about not being able to connect? He didn't have any trouble connecting with you." yelled Kathryn. Mary Margaret thanked the universe that they were in private, otherwise she didn't think she would be able to form a sentance without stuttering. She wanted to glance at Ris for help, but she didn't.

"David didn't tell you about us?" she asked.

"No, of course not. That would have been the honourable thing to do." replied Kathryn.

"But, he said he would tell you." said Mary Margaret, feeling confused.

"Well, then he lied to you, too. Good luck making it work. You two deserve each other." said Kathryn, bringing the confrontation to an end and walking out the door, bumping into a student that was standing outside. He had probably listened to the entire converstation and was ready to spread the gossip around.

"Hey, stay where you are you little brat!" yelled Ris, and the student froze in place. Ris was going to yell at him, but she caught a glimpse of Mary Margaret at the corner of her eye, and she didn't like what she saw. She was not shedding any tears. But her face was one of utter devastation and comlete shame. Ris waved her hand to the student, sending him off. "Get out of my sight. But remember, you are already on the deputy's shit list." she said. The student took off running, relieved that he was off the hook.

Ris turned back to Mary Margaret.

"He didn't tell her." she whispered.

"Appears not, M&M." replied Ris.

"He lied..." continued the teacher, this time bringing her hand to her face to prevent any tears from coming out of her eyes and down her cheeks.

"Godamnit Dave..." muttered Ris, and she quickly approached Mary Margaret. She brought her to a hug, which she knew she really needed. Mary Margaret didn't quite return it, but she appeared to be comforted by it. Ris knew that her sadness wasn't caused by the confrontation, or Kathryn's slap. It was David. He had lied to her _and_ Kathryn.

"You said you let her land the first slap..." muttered Mary Margaret.

"Yeah." said Ris, pulling away. Mary Margaret sniffed and rubbed her eyes, which were now shedding the tears she held back while talking to Kathryn.

"I deserved it." said Mary Margaret.

"Well, I wouldn't say you deserved it. I would say that you had it coming though." said Ris. Mary Margaret tried to laugh, but her bitter laughter only caused more tears. "You wanna head home?" asked Ris, seeing her discomfort.

"I'll manage a few more hours. School's not over yet. Excuse me for a moment..." said Mary Margaret, and she took off, leaving Ris behind. Ris could only hope that the teacher wasn't heading to the bathroom to shed more tears before the next class started...

 _'On the bright side, things can't really get worse from here...'_ she thought.

* * *

 _ **Wonderland**_

 _ **A Long Time Ago...**_

"I swear, things can't get any worse." said Clarissa, after hours of walking from one weird sight to another in the realm of Wonderland. So far, the weirdest thing she and Baelfire had ran into was a huge blue caterpillar, whose smoke was still hurting their lungs. They had witnessed many villagers smoking when she was back home, but never as much as that creature. Bae made a note to himself to never smoke in her entire life.

"It would've been worse if Pan hadn't sent us here at all. Now we might actually stand a chance." he encouraged.

"But we don't even know where to begin looking for those mushrooms. That bastard didn't even leave us Tink's book. It could take us ages."

"I told you, we should've asked that Caterpillar."

"And endure its smoke in our faces until he helps us? Thanks, but no thanks." she replied. It appeared that she shared the same opinion about the smoke.

They soon reached the entrance of a Labirynth. It was surrounded by huge bushes, and it looked like entering it would lead nowhere. Clarissa kept walking, paying it no mind, while Bae stopped on his tracks.

"Tell me that you are not planning on entering that." he said, making his sister pause and face him over her shoulder.

"Aren't you?" she asked, not suspecting the obvious danger that entering the cave would bring. Bae didn't reply, and instead reched down to take off one of his shoes.

"What are you doing?" asked Clarissa. Bae kept silent, and he threw his shoe lightly to one of the bushes surrounding the Labirynth. It instantly disappeared behind the leaves, much too fast for it to be out of the force of Bae's throw. "How did you know that was going to happen?" asked Clarissa, surprised by the security measures.

"I didn't. I just figured that there had to be some form of magic protecting this place. Just like every other realm appart from the Land without magic. Who's to say that there's no more dangerous magic in there?"

"You threw away your shoe to prove _that_?" asked Clarissa.

"It was worth it if it will prevent you from entering that place."

"That is very considerate of you, Baelfire. But you forget that unlike you, I don't tremble at the thought of magic."

"I don't tremble. I just don't trust it. Don't you remember what it did to papa?" said Bae. He thought that bringing their father into the converstation would make her more cooperative. Clarissa's face immediately fell by the mention, but she didn't have the look he was expecting. She threw him a glare, and before Bae could stop her, she entered the Labirynth with the speed that two hundred years in Neverland had given her.

"Rissy, stop!" yelled Bae, and he chased after her. Unfortunately, he wasn't as fast as she was, given that he rarely exited the cave for longer than a few hours.

He tried his best to at least keep her in his sight, because if he lost her, they were both goners. He panicked when the sound of her footsteps started to fade. He didn't call for her again, afraid that it would alert any other guarding spell in the Labirynth. The turns he took soon turned into lucky guesses. He just hoped that at least this time, Lady Luck would have some mercy on him. For Rissy's sake.

"Bae!" yelled her voice from the distance. Bae came to a stop, as he was about to take a wrong turn. Rissy's yell came just in time. "Don't come! Go back!" she yelled. Bae didn't take her advice, and he kept running. He was only forced to stop as he caught a glimpse of her from the corner of his eye. That was when a sword came pointing at his face, and Bae stopped just in time to avoid having his head cut in half.

"Stop where you are, boy!" yelled the guard that weilded the sword.

"I knew I should've told you to come here. Since you have the gift of always doing the opposite of what I say..." started Rissy, who had another sword pointed right at her throat.

"Shut up!" yelled the guard that held her.

"Now, one of you is going to answer our questions without wasting time." said the guard that held Bae, calmly. "Tell me, boy. Who sent you here? Was it the newly crowned queen of the Enchanted Forest? Are you here for _our_ newly crowned queen?"

"What? No! We are not even from the Enchanted Forest." replied Bae.

"Girl. Is your friend lying?"

"No, he is not. We don't know any queens, we were minding our own business, I swear." said Rissy.

"Then what are you doing in here? If you are from here, you should've known by now that her majesty, Cora the queen of hearts, doesn't like intruders. She's been the queen for quite a few months now."

"We're not..." started Rissy, but Bae quickly shook his head. If she said that they weren't from there, it would make their situation much more difficult.

"You are not what? Speak up!" yelled the soldier, fisting Rissy's hair forcefully. She didn't make a sound of pain, and she didn't answer his question.

"Leave her be!" yelled Bae, unable to hold back his anger. He tried to escape from the guard's hold, but he was forced on his knees as soon as he made a move with the blade pointed at his throat.

"How old are you, boy?" asked the guard.

 _'About two hundred.'_ thought Bae, but this answer would only give away their home realm, so he settled for the age which he looked like. "Fourteen." he said.

"What about her?"

"She's eight."

"Well, it appears that it is her lucky day. She's not old enough to be interrogated by our queen. You on the other hand... It sounds like you'll be able to handle it."

"No!" yelled Rissy, fighting against the guard's grip, which only resulted in its tightening.

"Go ahead. Take me to your queen. I just hope that she has more brain cells than you do and that she'll listen to common sense." said Bae, unwilling to beg the guards to set them free.

"Bae, what are you doing?" asked Rissy, panicked.

"I'll be alright. These people are cowardly enough to use magic, so I don't belive we'll have trouble finding each other again." he said. He was recklessly trying to provoke the guards, hoping that they would get offended enough to stop thinking straight and provide the opportunity for him and Rissy to escape. But it didn't seem to work. Bae felt a sharp pain at the back of his head, which he guessed was the sword handle. The pain made him dizzy, and he fell to unconciousness with his sister's voice being the last thing he heard.

* * *

 _ **Storybrooke**_

 _ **Present Time...**_

The moment when Ris and Mary Margaret exited the school and strolled through the neighbourhood, was the moment when Mary Margaret wished that magic existed. She wished that Henry's theories were correct and that she could actually use magic to turn invisible or teleport. It appeared that the teenage boy that Ris had let off the hook back at school had managed to spread the rumors faster than neither of them could imagine. That was the only thing that could explain everyone whispering and pointing when they saw her.

"Ignore them. Everything will be forgotten in a week's time." said Ris, glaring at two women that were whispering their insults quite loudly. "We're not a sight for the tourists. Quit staring and keep your thoughts to yourselves." she yelled, making the two women quicken their steps.

"Ris, it's fine, you don't have to do this every time someone looks at me the wrong way." said Mary Margaret.

"M&M, I've been the other woman. There was this guy I was dating in London, and I knew he had a girlfriend. What I didn't know was that his girlfriend was one of my roomates. I'm bound to have some knowledge of shutting up the gossip spreaders." said Ris.

"Was that why you left London?"

"Of course not. The whole thing was forgotten in four days time. So take my advice and don't let this bullshit get to you."

Mary Margaret nodded, not entirely convinced though. Due to being distracted, she bumped into Granny, who was probably heading to work to check whether Ruby was serving the custumers or chatting with them.

"Oh gosh, I'm sorry Granny, I must've no been looking..." started Mary Margaret.

"I'm sorry, I didn't..." started Granny with an apologetic expression, but it quickly changed once she saw who she was talking to. "Oh. You."

"Excuse me?" said Mary Margaret. Ris rolled her eyes. She couldn't believe that the gossip had even reached that old woman's ears. This town was worse than London gossip wise.

"You should be ashamed of yourself." said Granny, walking right past them.

"Check out your grandaughter first. After you do, you are allowed to talk." yelled Ris from behind. Mary Margaret's eyes widened at the comment.

"Ris!" she yelled. Ris appeared to be regretful.

"I know, I'm sorry. That was way too mean, even for me. I'll have to apologise to Ruby later." she said, and she linked her elbow through Mary Margaret's and dragged her to her car faster. She knew that the teacher wouldn't be able to keep calm for much longer.

Unfortunately, the sight of her car wasn't able to offer her any relief. It was accompanied by David, who was trying to erase the word "TRAMP" from the car's window, which was written with red paint.

"Who did this?" asked Mary Margaret, her voice revealing that she was close to her breaking point. David realized their presence, cursing himself for not being any faster.

"I don't know. I'm sorry. I don't know how any of this happened." replied David.

"M&M, you have ten seconds to reveal that little brat's name and phone number. I need to have a small chat with his parents." said Ris, grabbing the sponge that David was using and continuing on with cleaning the car window.

"Uh... Ris. Could you give us a moment, please?" asked David.

"Why? So that you can come up with an excuse for your stupidity without the fear of getting your ass kicked?" said Ris, not taking her eyes off of the red paint she was cleaning.

"Ris, it's fine. I will meet you back at home." said Mary Margaret.

"Are you sure?" asked Ris, eyeing David.

"Yes, I'm sure." replied the teacher.

"Fine. But if she comes home in an even worse state, you can start running for your life, David." she threatened, and she reluctantly stepped away.

* * *

Autumn wasn't really Emma's favorite season. Her bug was covered by the autumn leaves, and it would take ages for her to clean them up. Thankfully, she was in a good mood. That stranger guy, August, wasn't such a bad company after all. All he did during their 'drink date' was speak of philosophies and some very open minded theories, but Emma didn't mind. That guy had somehow managed to surprise her, and that was something that rarely ever happened.

"Hey Emma." said a voice. Ris's voice. The use of her first name and not the last, which her friend usually used, was a sign that something had gone wrong.

"What happened?" she asked. Ris leaned on the back of the car, placing her weight on it.

"I can tell you what did _not_ happen. David telling his wife the whole truth, thus keeping any confrontation to a civilized level. How come you haven't heard of that yet? News travel way too fast in this town." she said.

"I was kinda busy. Did a fight break down?" asked Emma, worriedly.

"It was about to, but I tried my best to stop it. Kathryn went full on bitch mode and managed to land one slap. In public. While Mary Margaret was at school."

"Ouch. In front of the kids?"

"Yes. I managed to move their arguement to somewhere more private, but the brats still managed to overhear."

"You tried your best. I just hope Mary Margaret will also try her best to keep strong. The next week won't be easy."

"That's what I said. If only she had listened to _your_ advice and not mine... Perhaps she wouldn't be in this mess."

"Maybe. But don't beat yourself over it. What's done is done. Our job now is to help Mary Margaret move past it."

"I suppose." said Ris, reluctantly. They remained silent while Emma kept brushing the autumn leaves off her car. While she was at it, something caught Ris's attention.

"What is it?" asked Emma. Ris didn't reply, and she reached down to check out the object of her interest. Emma glanced at what Ris was reaching for. It was a brown box, and it was stuck at the car's wheels. Ris opened it, and what was found inside was a sight surprising for the both of them.

"Is that...?" started Ris.

"Henry's book." completed Emma. A hint of a smile appeared on Ris's face.

"Well, what do you know. Miracles _do_ happen indeed."

* * *

August watched the scene unfold from somewhere around the corner. He didn't know whether Emma had put any thought on his words during their drink at the well, but as Clarissa had said, miracles did happen. It might not have been Emma had said it, but if the closest friend of Emma's wouldn't be able to convince her, then who would?

* * *

That night, Mary Margaret was exactly where Emma expected her to be. She was lied on her bed, and she didn't even aknowledge her presence when she entered the appartment. Hearing about her state from Ris and actually witnessing it were two entirely different things. Emma didn't even know where to start with comforting her.

"You feel like talking about it yet?" asked Emma.

"Nope." replied Mary Margaret with her broken voice.

"You wanna be alone?" asked Emma again, hoping that she could still at least offer the comfort of her company to Mary Margaret.

"Nope." replied Mary Margaret.

"Ris will be back any minuite now. She said something about apologising to Ruby."

Mary Margaret nodded, unable to form any more words. They would just come out as sobs. Emma was glad that she could be there for her friend. She really hoped that this entire thing would be forgotten in a week's time. But she knew that the ache in Mary Margaret's heart would be there for a long time before she would be able to move on. But all she could do about it was lie down next to her, offering silent comforting words and allowing her to lead her sorrow out of her system. Unfortunately, the only way for her to do that was through tears, which weren't what Emma would usually recommend, but for some reason they were the only solution she could think of.

* * *

 **A/N: Okay, now it's full. I kinda want to fit one episode in one chapter more often... I'll see what I can do about that. Re-living this episode made me realize how bad I felt for Kathryn. She might've snapped, but that was what anyone would do. She was such a sweetheart afterwards.**

 **I know that the events of the chapter happened in the span of two days, but with the power of fanfiction I combined them into one.**

 **We'll be getting some Jefferson and Will Scarlet action in the next flashback. Hopefully this flashback will be done before the Jefferson episode in the show... Thank you for reading and until next time! :-D Now, back to some editing).**


	32. Chapter 32

**A/N: The flashback is set before Jefferson had Grace.:-D**

* * *

 **Chapter 32**

"Ruby, I swear to you, two days ago I payed half the price of this thing." said Ris, pointing at the check Ruby had left at the table after she'd served her and Emma some breakfast.

"Would you mind moving, sister? Some people actually want to stay sane." said Leroy from his seat. The arguement was taking place right next to him, and the grumpy man was being... Well, grumpy.

"Leroy, do me a favor and shut it. My memorizing skills are being questioned at this very moment." argued Ris, not even bothering to face him.

"Ris, I think you should ask Granny about this. She is the one that calls the shots here." said Ruby, calmly.

"Look, if this is about my comment to her yesterday, I personally came here and apologized to both of you for it, you said it was fine."

"It _is_ fine. And I'm sure Granny has an explanation for this. She is not the kind of person to hold a grudge. Well, at least not against the ones that have apologized." reassured Ruby. "You want me to call her here? She's in the kitchen."

"Nah. Leave it be. I'm not in the mood to have a full blown arguement this morning." replied Ris. "Can you also get me another coffee? I think I've been suffering from insomnia lately." she added.

"Sure. I'll take care of the check myself this time." said Ruby. "But don't tell Granny." she whispered. Ris gave her a reassuring nod as she took the seat next to Leroy and waited for her order to arrive. The moment she rested her head on her hands, the dinner's door opened to welcome two new custumers. Walter and Mr Clark. Or as Henry refered to them, Sleepy and Sneezy.

"Uh, excuse me, Leroy, Clarissa?" said Mr Clark. They both faced the two men with an identical bored expression. "Would you mind scooting over a seat so Walter and I could sit together?" he asked. Leroy kept the same expression plastered on his face while Ris groaned in frustration at the man's request.

"If I wanted to sit there, I would've sat there. You want this seat? Try dragging your sorry asses out of bed a little earlier." said Leroy, rudely, and he continued his breakfast with no care in the world.

"For once I agree with Leroy. If _I_ can be an early bird with my most recent insomnia, you should be able to do it too." said Ris, growing bored.

"You're both a real ray of sunshine as us..." started Mr Clark, but he was interrupted by his sneeze, as always. Leroy glared daggers at him. His morning was officially ruined.

"Congrats. Just lost my appetite. Seat's all yours." he said, and he abandoned his plate on the booth as he got off the seat in a hurry.

"Uh... Clarissa?" asked Walter, silently asking her to scoot over a seat.

"No." she said, sharply.

"Remember those sunglasses you had me save for you? You can have them on discount." said Mr Clark. Ris's head shot up at that statement.

"You really want this seat, don't you? Fifty percent or no deal." she said.

"Deputy Silver." called Emma from the table at the corner, giving her a small warning about the way she used her new title. Ris aknowledged her with a nod, and she gave up.

"Seat's yours. No need for a discount." she said, and she returned back to her table with Emma. "Swan, that was my golden opportunity. But you just _had_ to wreck it, didn't you?"

"We've talked about using your title for personal matters. Just because your place at the station is now official, it doesn't mean you are free to walk around like you own the place." she said.

As Leroy got ready to leave the dinner, Mary Margaret walked in, holding an application file in her hand. The dinner immediately went silent. They still weren't over the whole David thing, which was expected from such old fashioned people. But still, Ris found it a little bit too much.

"Excuse me. Can I have everyone's attention, please?" asked the teacher. Her request didn't make much of a difference, since all eyes were already on her. "I'm sorry to interrupt your morning, but I just wanted to remind everyone that a very special occasion is upon us. Miner's Day." she announced, earning a lot of raised eyebrows in response. She cleared her throat awkwardly, and continued. "As always, the nuns of Storybrooke are hoping that everyone will get involved, and will help sell their exquisite candles. All we need are a few energetic volunteers. So, who wants to join me?" she asked with a hopeful smile. The only reply she received was silence. Mary Margaret managed to keep her smile on her face, but she knew that if it had been someone else in her place, there would have been at least two volunteers.

"You've got to be kidding me..." muttered Ris, and she slowly got up from her seat with her hand raised up.

"What are you..." started Emma.

"I'll volunteer to... Whatever this candle thingy is." said Ris. She didn't really want to volunteer. She would much prefer taking orders from Emma for the rest of the day as deputy. But the silent treatment that Mary Margaret was receiving from everyone was way too cruel. She didn't deserve to go through this all alone.

"Ris, thank you for volunteering. You can sign right over here." said Mary Margaret, giving Ris a grateful smile, and she handed her a pen. Ris reluctantly walked over to the teacher and signed on the file. Leroy walked in front of them, and Mary Margaret hurried to give him another grateful smile.

"Leroy, you want to volunteer?" she asked. Ris couldn't help but roll her eyes at her naivety as she moved away from the door.

"I want to leave, sister. You are blocking the door." said Leroy, making Mary Margaret's smile fade.

"Of course..." said Mary Margaret, moving away as well. "Uh, you know, if you wanted to help, it could really be..." she added before Leroy could walk away.

"Oh, yeah. Right. Quite a team we'd make. Town harlot, town drunk. You're lucky you've got town blabbermouth helping you." he said, pointing at Ris.

"Blabbermouth?" whispered Ris.

"The only person in this town that people like less than me, is you. If you're coming to me, you're screwed." said Leroy, and he finally walked through the door.

"Don't listen to him. There is no way for anyone to be more hated than Leroy." whispered Ris.

"Come, let's go." said Mary Margaret, hurriedly. She was more disappointed than Ris expected her to be.

"Don't get too worked up about this, M&M." she said once they were out of the dinner. "It's Saturday, the day when everyone is way too lazy to get off their asses and do... Well, anything." she said. Mary Margaret gave her an weak smile.

"I know." she said. They both knew that Ris's words weren't true for the most part, and they were only meant to comfort. But the time for tears was over. It was time to move forward.

"Hey!" called Emma's voice from behind them. "Mind if I join you?" she asked as soon as she caught up with them. Mary Margaret shook her head in response.

"Mind? You are practically obliged to join us, Swan, seeing that you are the only other person with common sense in this town." said Ris.

"Just like _you_ are obliged to join me whenever I need you as the new deputy. But here you are, ditching me for candles." argued Emma.

"Graham used to help a lot when he was sheriff. It's not unusual for the authority to help with community service." explained Mary Margaret.

"Somehow, I just can't imagine him selling candles..." said Emma, but changed the subject quickly. The former sheriff was still a touchy subject to talk about, even after a month since his passing. "So, what the hell is Miner's Day, and why are you beating yourself up over it?" she asked.

"It's an annual holiday celebrating an old tradition. The nuns used to make candles and trade them with the miners for coal." explained Mary Margaret.

"Coal? In Maine? If they were mining for lobster, I'd understand." commented Emma, earning a chuckle from Ris.

"Look, I don't know. Now, they use it as a fundraiser. It's an amazing party, everyone loves it."

"So it's not the coal they're after, it's the party. Makes sense." said Ris. "For something so much fun, it doesn't seem as loved as you say."

"It's not the Miner's day, it's me." said Mary Margaret, sadly.

"There's no way anyone would give up on something so loved over one single person." said Emma.

"The facts beg to differ. Last week, I had ten volunteers. This week, they all dropped out." said Mary Margaret, earning an angry groan from Ris.

"Are these people serious? They could at least _try_ and hide their conservatism. It's not like you are the first to make a mistake. Who knows how many skeletons _they_ have in their closets?" she said, angrily.

"She's right. You made a mistake with David. It happens." said Emma. "But do you really have to do charity to win people's hearts back?" she asked, raising her eyebrow.

"I have to do _something_ , and this is the best I can do. Love ruined my life." said Mary Margaret.

"That's why I told you all those months ago that love isn't worth it." exclaimed Ris.

"You also said you didn't believe in it." said Mary Margaret.

"I still don't." hurried Ris to reply.

Emma's phone rang, interrupting their converstation and their walking.

"Sheriff Swan." said Emma once she picked up.

"Look at her being all proffessional." commented Ris as quietly as possible.

"Yeah, I'll be right down." said Emma through the phone before she hung up.

"That was quick. What do we got?" asked Ris.

"You mean what do _I_ got. You signed up for charity, so you're doing charity." said Emma.

"But I wanna help, my title as deputy has just become official." complained Ris.

"If you wanna help, do so by selling the nun's candles. I've got to go now." said Emma. She looked at Mary Margaret before walking away. "If there's anything I can do to help, I will." she said, reassuringly. Mary Margaret smiled back, weakly.

"I know. Thank you." she said. Emma gave her a brief nod, and then headed to wherever she was needed.

"So." said Ris, clapping her hands together. "Where do we start with those candles?"

* * *

 _ **Wonderland**_

 _ **A Long Time Ago...**_

Clarissa woke up at the sound of whistling.

After the guard had knocked Bae unconcious, she had foolishly tried to fight him, which proved to be pointless, obviously. She was knocked unconcious as well, and she had no idea where they had placed her while she was out.

She tried to open her eyes, but her eyelids felt too heavy. She had been having trouble sleeping back at Neverland. It was catching up to her. Her paranoia was to blame. Bae had the same problem, but his own insomnia was caused by nightmares. Nightmares of the night that neither of them wanted to remember.

"Hey! Are you awake, lassie?" asked someone near her. It was a male vioce, with an accent that Clarissa had never heard of. She managed to force her eyes open and look around her. She realized that whenever she was, it was quite uncomfortable. That was because all she could see around her was a net. She was hung on a tree by a net!

"Hey!" she yelled once she was fully awake. "Where are you, cowards! What did you do to my brother!" she yelled. No one answered.

"Don't waste your time. These brainless monkeys are also deafs, apparently." said the one that spoke earlier. She gazed at the direction where the voice came from, and she saw a young boy, who must've been a little older than Bae, about sixteen years old. He was also trapped in a net, but unlike her, he didn't appear to be angry. It looked like he was used to it.

"You, prisoners! No speaking!" said a guard, who came up just when the boy voiced his insult.

"I apologize, Mr guard, but how is it that your hearing only works whenever someone is pointing out some of your very obvious flaws?" said the boy. He didn't sound like he was afraid of the consequences.

"You little..." started the guard.

"No, I'm serious. My friend over here was yelling for you and you only showed when I whispered the harsh truth to her." said the boy.

"Shut up, or I'll cut off your tongue." said another guard, pulling the one that was speaking to them back to his original position. Clarissa didn't try calling them again, realizing that the boy had been there long before she arrived. So it would be best if she followed his advice. She stared at him with a look of admiration for his bold words towards the armed guards, which was questioning at the same time. She had never came across anyone that spoke like that with no care in the world. No desperation, no anger, nothing. The boy noticed her staring.

"Do I have something on my face?" he asked, actually reaching at his face with his hands. Clarissa rolled her eyes and she looked away from the boy, staring ahead instead, to nowhere in particular.

"You were antagonising them." she stated, calmly. "Why?" she asked the boy, without facing him.

"The correct question would be, why not." he replied. That made Clarissa look at him again.

"Don't you want to get out?" she asked.

"You and I both. I have more important things to do than sit here and wait for my execution." he said, annoyed. Clarissa's eyes widened.

"Execution?" she asked.

"Aye. My friends over there caught me picking up some mushrooms a few days ago. Little did I know that in this realm, this is actually a crime."

"That's because they are magical, idiot. Magic always comes with a price. If you were going to use magic without knowing that, you are a fool."

"I didn't care about the magic. I didn't even know they were magical. I just thought they looked pretty and I said to myself, 'hey, Will. Maybe Ana would bother glancing at your direction if you had one in your hands'." said the boy, smiling at Clarissa. "I'm Will Scarlet. What's your name?" he asked.

"It doesn't matter." replied Clarissa.

"It does to me. If I'm gonna spend my last hours with these bloody meatheads, I would like to know the name of the one sane person I've met in this place."

"I said no talking!" said the guard.

"Once again, Mr Guard. You have some selective hearing. I'm personally impressed." said the boy, Will.

"That's it, you little brat." said the guard, and he rushed at Will's net before the other guard could stop him. He grabbed Will by his shirt, threatenigly, but Will didn't even flinch. The guard took out a knife and pressed it at Will's throat.

"Hey! I spoke to him, you leave him alone!" yelled Clarissa, discovering that the brutallity of the guards towards the boy was bothering her more than she imagined.

"Don't waste your breath. He won't hurt us anyway." said Will, calmly.

"And why is that, boy?" asked the guard.

"Why, you won't be able to do it from the ground of course." replied Will, and in one swift hand movement, he took a hold of the gurd's hand, the one with the knife, while he used the other one to bring a rock to the back of his head. Hard. The guard only let out a small gasp before falling unconcious onto the ground. Will snatched the knife and held it in front of himself and against the other guard.

"Stay back. Or else... I'll use this!" he yelled.

"Don't warn him! Use it now!" yelled Clarissa. How could this boy knock a man twice his size unconcious and hesitate when he could get the upper hand?

"Is this why you were antagonising us, boy? So that we would get close and give you the opportunity to use your secret weapon?" asked the other guard, raising his sword in front of Will. Will didn't lower his blade, nor did he appear to be intimidated.

"Well, I wouldn't really call this rock a weapon, but I guess it _is_ against you guys." he said. The guard grew impatient, and with one fast movement, the knife Will was holding flew away. Clarissa quickly snatched it, without the guard noticing, as he was busy staring at Will, waiting to see whether he had more tricks up his sleeve. The boy only raised his hands in surrender.

"That's alright mate. I'm done, there's no need for you to get all defensive." he said.

"Once he wakes up, I'll have him go straight to the Queen of hearts, and request for your execution to happen tonight instead of tomorrow." he said, pointing at the unconcious guard on the ground.

"Be my guest! If execution equals to less time around you wankers, I'll be more than willing to accept it even sooner." said Will, a little bit too excited.

"Hell, if it means that I get to escape the sight of your faces, I'll cut off my own head." said Clarissa, showing the knife she had grabbed. Before he could react, Clarissa threw the knife straight at his head. Thankfully, only the handle hit his skull and not the blade, so the second guard landed unconcious and not dead on top of his partner. Clarissa had already cut herself an exit, so all she had to do was rip the net with her hands and jump off. Thankfully, she and Will weren't hung too high up, so her fear of heights didn't make her hesitate. She obtained the knife again once she was back on the ground.

"That was brilliant, lassie! Now, could you please... You know." asked Will, pointing at the net that still surrounded him.

"And why would I do that?" asked Clarissa.

"Because I was the one that had the rock in the first place. Without me, you would still be hanging from that tree." said Will, for once his voice revealing some panick.

"How about I make you a deal?" asked Clarissa.

"Anything you want. What is it?" said Will.

"If I cut you down now, you'll help me save my brother from the Queen. Then you'll take us both to the mushrooms you were collecting."

"Back there? Forget it, I don't have a death wish."

"Really? That's not what you said to the guard before."

"Come on, you are a kid. You are not supposed to even know the meaning of a negotiation."

"I'm no kid. You should've realized that by now."

"Then what are you?"

"It doesn't matter. And it matters even less now that I know you're not willing to help me." said Clarissa, and she turned on her heel, walking away.

"Wait!" screamed Will. Clarissa smiled at her victory. "Fine, I'll get you to your bloody mushrooms. But can we at least make one stop before that? I haven't eaten anything worth eating in days." said Will.

"Where is that stop?" asked Clarissa.

"At my old pal's. He's the one that brought me here."

"Where is he?"

"I'll lead the way."

"I don't trust you."

"Be my guest."

Clarissa hesitated for a while. But she had no other choice. She needed someone to guide her to Bae and then the mushrooms. If there was a small chance that Will wouldn't betray her, she had to take it. So she cut him down. Will groaned as he landed roughly on the ground.

"Ouch! You could've done it gently." he complained.

"You are right, I could have." replied Clarissa, waiting for Will to get up. "So, who is your old pal? What's his name?" she asked.

"In my land, the Enchanted Forest, he is known as Jefferson. Here in Wonderland, he is known as the Mad Hatter."

* * *

 _ **Storybrooke**_

 _ **Present Time...**_

Leroy had seen the light. He himself couldn't believe what had happened. Someone had been nice to him and he had been nice to someone. At that moment, he wished that he had met Astrid sooner. She was the first person that had encouraged him to keep fighting for his dream. His dream to sail. He had given up on it since as long as he could remember. He was stuck with being a janitor for the rest of his life and he had accepted that. But now... He actually wanted to do something. Something that included civil interactions with people. Astrid's words and warm smile made him want to do something good. And there was only one thing that he could think of.

"Where can I sign up?" he asked, after spotting Mary Margaret at school. She was busying herself with paperwork and he could barely see through all of the boxes of candles on her desk. Mary Margaret barely spared him a glance. "What? I want to volunteer to sell candles." he said after she ignored him.

"No, you don't. You made that very clear this morning at Granny's." said Mary Margaret, with a tone of bitterness. Leroy shouldn't expect her to welcome him with open arms after his behavior in the morning.

"Now there's something I thought I'd never see." said another voice from behind Leroy. The voice was accompanied by a hard pat on his back by Mary Margaret's friend, Clarissa. Leroy didn't even flinch, having expected something like that coming from her. "I asked around for volunteers, but everyone was being a asshole." she said, and she pushed some of the candles aside in order to sit on the desk. She then turned her attention back to him. "What do you want Leroy?" she asked, her tone matching Mary Margaret's previous one.

"He says that he's here to help." said Mary Margaret, as if she was telling a joke.

"You aren't gonna get paid. It's not a job, it's charity." explained Ris.

"I know that, sister. Maybe, I saw the light." said Leroy. He realized that what he said sounded ridiculous coming from him by Clarissa's raised eyebrow. "I mean, maybe somebody showed it to me." he corrected. Her facial expression didn't change. "What difference does it make? It looks like you two can use all the help you can get." he said, deciding that this was by far the best arguement he could offer.

"I think I'm enough help." argued Clarissa.

"Wait, Ris. Do you know how to set up a booth?" asked Mary Margaret, panicked.

"I thought _you_ did." said Clarissa.

"I had someone that would do it but she signed off. I totally forgot about that..." explained Mary Margaret. Clarissa looked back at him, her face revealing that she was less than happy to do so.

"Congrats, Leroy. Looks like you're up. You know how to set up a booth?" she asked.

"I do." he replied. Mary Margaret instantly handed him the application file and a pen.

"No swearing, no drinking, and I get to call all the shots." she said, pointing at him with her finger, strictly.

"The fuck do you mean no swearing?" asked Clarissa, suddenly.

"Sh! Ris, do you know who that is?" whispered/yelled Mary Margaret, pointing at Mother Superior on the desk across them. The nun was having an arguement with Astrid, so she didn't hear Clarissa's swearing. Astrid appeared to be under a lot of pressure, which concerned Leroy.

"Should I?" whispered Clarissa.

"That's Mother Superior. The head of the nun's. She'll be there at all times and she already doesn't like that I'm in charge of the candles. So yes. No swearing." said Mary Margaret.

Mother Superior left the room after ordering Astrid to fix her mistake. Leroy singned his application, and headed to Astrid, curious and worried about her current state.

"Hey. What's the problem?" he asked. She looked up at the sound of his voice.

"The problem is, I'm an idiot." she replied, exasperated. "We get a stipend each year for expenses, and it's all carefully budgeted except for the part where I spent it all. On _helium_. And now we can't pay our rent." she continued.

"So, you'll make it up when you get your next stipend." offered Leroy.

"Which isn't till next month. The rent is due next week. And the only income we have are these candles." said Astrid, pointing at the candles on Mary Margaret's desk. That grabbed Clarissa's attention, and she looked up at the two of them.

"If we are your last hope then you are screwed." she said loudly, making sure Astrid would hear her.

"Shut it, Clarissa." said Leroy, not too harshly, trying not to drive Astrid away by his rudeness. "How many do you need to sell?" he asked Astrid.

"Like, a thousand." she replied. She sounded like she really believed it would be impossible.

"How many did you sell last year?"

"Forty two..."

That was bad. Leroy didn't really know what to say after that. He didn't know how to encourage her and give her hope. He tried his best to think of another advice.

"Ask your landlord to cut you a break." he finally offered.

"Mr. Gold doesn't offer much leeway." said Astrid.

"Sorry for my intrusion..." started Clarissa, still from her spot on the desk.

"Again." muttered Leroy.

"If Mr Gold is your landlord, I could go ahead and talk some sense into his thick skull. Maybe if I'd put in a good word and offer an impressive arguement, he'd listen." she said.

"What makes you think that he'll listen to you, sister?" asked Leroy.

"He's done it before. Now, do you or do you not want my help?"

"It's fine Clarissa. Thank you though." said Astrid, kindly. "If you can't convince him there's a chance that he'll make the situation worse for us."

Clarissa nodded, and turned her attention back to Mary Margaret.

"So, we're back to the candles." said Leroy.

"Yes. They are our last chance. If we miss a payment, we're out. And then they'll reassign us, and we'll have to leave Storybrooke." said Astrid, sadly.

"No, you won't." stated Leroy. He felt Mary Margaret and Clarissa's eyes back at him. They were probably dumbfounded by the finalty of his words. He tried his best to ignore them. "You know why you only sold forty-two last year? Because you didn't have _me_. This year, we're going to sell all of them." he stated.

"All of them?" asked Clarissa from behind. Leroy ignored her again, and kept Astrid's gaze without changing his hopeful expression. His words affected Astrid, as she gave him a grateful smile.

"Wow! Leroy, I guess you really _are_ my hero." she said. Leroy could do nothing but smile. He didn't have the heart to discourage her or give her doubts. All he could do was smile back at her, and hope that he hadn't just messed everything up

* * *

"All of them?" repeated Ris for the third time since he set up the booth. It's not like she didn't like to hope, but Leroy had placed some heavy weight on their shoulders with this responsibility. Now both she and Mary Margaret felt obliged to sell a thousand candles and help the nuns. Well, mainly Astrid, since she was Leroy's crush.

"Is it that impossible to you, sister?" asked Leroy while unboxing a few more candles.

"We are three people, Leroy. And not the most popular ones either." she replied.

"To be fair, out of the three of us you are the one with whom people have the least issues." said Mary Margaret.

"That doesn't mean they like me." replied Ris.

"Maybe if you tried a little bit..?" offered Mary Margaret after another failed attempt to sell candles. She was right. Ris wasn't really trying her best to help. She wasn't used to being somebody's last hope. So she sighed heavily, and grabbed two candles from her booth.

"People actually put some effort in these candles! They are handmade and cheaper than they should be! It only takes less than a minuite to buy ine, it's not that hard!" she yelled, getting a few people's attention. She headed off the booth with the two candles still in her hands. She tried to approach the people she knew.

"Hey Archie. Help me out here, man." she said, and she extended her hand in front of him, offering a candle. Archie was taken aback, which worked to her advantage, as she knew that he would feel guilty if he didn't buy a candle.

"Clarissa, maybe your approach isn't the best one for selling candles..." started Archie after Ris gave him his change.

"What approach do you suggest? Just so you know, the one used by M&M over there is not working." she said.

"How much for two candles?" asked someone behind Archie. Archie moved aside to reveal August, standing now in front of Ris.

"Uh... Have a good evening." said Archie, and he walked away with his dog.

"August, what a great timing. Hold this, I'll be right back." said Ris, and she handed August the candle she was holding and headed to the booth to get another one. Mary Margaret didn't look too happy with Ris's way of handling the candle selling.

"Don't give me that look, M&M. You were the one that told me to do something. And now I'm doing something." she said, before Mary Margaret could scold her.

"Maybe with a different approach, a lighter one..."

"Let her do her thing, sister. She just sold our first three candles." said Leroy. Ris took the second candle for August and walked back to him.

"Who is the second candle for? Emma?" asked Ris with a smirk, handing him the candle. August said nothing and he reached inside his wallet.

"Here's the cash. Have a good day, Clarissa." he said with a smile.

"Wait, I didn't give you your change!" she called when he walked away.

"Keep it. Consider it my good deed of the day to you." called August, making Ris smile to herself. She headed back to her booth where Leroy and Mary Margaret were waiting.

"Three down, nine hundred and ninety seven to go." she said, and she took another look around the crowd of people, to see if she could spot more familiar faces. She didn't see anyone else that could overlook Mary Margaret's presence on the booth. The place wasn't crowded enough. So the teacher began advertising again. As Ris was looking through the small crowd, she spotted Marco, who had just ran into Archie. He too had a candle in his hand, only that Ris didn't remember selling him one. Her eyes searched for August again, and when she found him, she was surprised to see that his second candle was not in his hand. She smiled to herself again. Funny how she had immediately assumed that the candle was for Emma. The stranger sure was full of surprises. She wondered whether he and Marco were related. He hadn't been in town for _that_ long to make such quick friends. And it wasn't like he showed his face too often.

"Buy your Miner's Day candles here! Handmade by Storybrooke's very own nuns! Light your way to a good cause! By buying a candle…" kept yelling Mary Margaret, hoping that someone would at least glance their direction. "This isn't working. Ris, are you sure you can't..."

"That's all I've got. And it's not like the place is too crowded right now, maybe in night time..."

"We don't have till night time." snapped Leroy.

"Well, if you have any other suggestion, please enlighten us." said Ris.

"We should pack up." he said.

"Is this seriously your suggestion? Giving up?" asked Mary Margaret.

"If the customers won't come to us, we got to go to them. Door to door." explained Leroy.

"No way, I hated itinerants when I was in Boston, I won't become them." complained Ris.

"Do _you_ have a better idea?"

"If they hate us here, what makes you think they'll like us in their homes?" asked Mary Margaret.

"Exactly. They'll pay us just to leave."

* * *

 **A/N: Here it is! Thank you for reading! Until next time!:-D**


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